I'm looking for a IDE that allows me to compile/run/debug BASIC code.
Also wondering if I can "upgrade" basic code to Visual Basic 6.
Any help is appreciated!!
+3
A:
A bunch available, it appears. Just googled it -- http://www.freebyte.com/programming/basic/#freebasicides
Dustin
2008-09-16 00:15:19
+2
A:
There is the FreeBASIC compiler and the FBIde (FreeBASIC IDE).
In answer to your second question (isn't that frowned upon?), BASIC is not the same thing as Visual Basic. So you would not be able to just copy and paste BASIC code into a VB6 project. If you want to write VB6 programs then you should start with VB6.
jsumners
2008-09-16 00:17:47
+2
A:
It's been a while, but QBasic was pretty amazing. It was a real step up from the BASIC that shipped with the Tandy 1000, except for missing some sound features. I spent many hours typing in programs from books and magazines when I was cutting my programming teeth.
Visual Basic was awesome too. It was very easy to throw up a Windows application without really knowing what you were doing.
(Can I borrow the time machine when you are done with it? ;-)
The above answer was intended as a joke. However, the joke hinges on the fact that BASIC is is pretty long-in-the-tooth and rarely seen in the wild. As Dustin, jsumners, and Brad Kaenel point out, there are still actively developed tools to work with BASIC. So keep reading! --->
Jon Ericson
2008-09-16 00:25:22
This wasn't meant to be a serious answer. I think it would be better to pick one of the other two answers if they helped or leave all of the answers unaccepted if they didn't. I'm tempted to remove this answer so it won't be at the top of the answer stack any more.
Jon Ericson
2008-09-19 20:09:07
It's the first accepted answer with negative points I see...
Juan Manuel
2008-09-19 20:32:32
Naughty... but you made my day :D
Manrico Corazzi
2008-09-19 20:43:22
This is so funny that I can't stop laughing... (the whole mess)
Andrei Rinea
2008-09-19 20:43:52
I really enjoyed reading the phrase "throw up" a windows application. In my part of the world, anyway, "to throw up" equals "to vomit," and I surely must have vomited up a lot of Visual Basic flotsam and jetsam back in the old days.
que que
2008-10-02 16:51:18
I don't get the joke... QBasic was the Python of its era. Easy, fun, powerful, and with great inbuilt docs. The last compiler version, PDS, was an awesome development tool as far as DOS was concerned. No question that it's long out of date, but so is actually having fun tinkering with your PC. :(
Artelius
2008-10-31 01:33:54
Mm, I remember building a simple RPG-engine in Q-basic. Darn, the language and the program both were horrible, but it was fun and it was my program.
Tetha
2009-03-18 17:53:49
Lol, I should get in queue for the time machine as well!! :D
Elitecoder
2009-06-21 15:39:43
+6
A:
If you're looking for a modern, IDE/Compiler that supports the syntax-family of GW-BASIC/QBASIC, go directly to PowerBASIC. link text They have four compilers: FirstBASIC and PowerBASIC for DOS (yes, DOS), PowerBASIC for Windows (GUI), and PowerBASIC Console (Windows character-mode). Great stuff from a company that's been around a long time, and still remembers what customer service is.
For the more modern VB syntax-family go with Microsoft's product line, or check out RealBASIC (link text Another solid product from a solid company, and you even get cross-platform support for Windows, MacOS, and Linux.
+2
A:
If you're considering "upgrading" to VB6, then your BASIC code must be pretty old!
Anyway, another option to seriously consider is REALbasic. It's an easy-to-use, fully object-oriented version of BASIC and a great alternative to VB6.
Paul Lefebvre
2009-02-03 19:27:59
+1
A:
As you can see from the other answers there are still many variations and tools for BASIC. The language implementations are similar, not the same. Visual Basic is not "BASIC", I like VB but it is not any kind BASIC. Back when I wrote in QBasic I could use a GW-Basic manual for guidance but the two certainly did not match up feature to feature. There are language elements common to most BASICs, BASIC is a family not a specific set of rules.
Paxic
2009-02-24 07:10:29
+1
A:
Heh .. I've been fooling around with Microsoft's Small Basic. Very lightweight, hardly what I'd call an IDE -- but sorta cute & fun. Maybe good for beginners. Not an answer to your question really but thot I would put out the link anyway...
Scott Evernden
2009-02-24 07:17:09
I checked it out for a friend who wanted to get his kid into programming, but the tutorial advocates goto, which I just can't approve of.
TheMissingLINQ
2009-03-18 17:37:59
+2
A:
RealBasic is probably the best of the Basic Variants. There are several VB6 to Realbasic conversion tools, and as far as OOP goes, RealBasic is right up there. Not to mention cross-platform capability, full debugger, introspection, plug-in capabilities, etc, etc.
Jordan
2009-03-25 13:31:55
A:
Another option people might consider is NS Basic.
It comes in a variety of "flavors" tailored to specific platforms, but does not pretend to be cross-platform due to the nature of the platforms:
- NS Basic/Desktop (Windows)
- NS Basic/CE (Windows Mobile, CE)
- NS Basic/Palm
- NS Basic/Symbian (Nokia)
The Desktop (Windows) edition is actually an IDE and script host for VBScript. Unlike WSH it offers GUI forms with a designer in the IDE. The host object model offers methods for things difficult to achieve in VBScript otherwise. One example is the ability to make standard DLL calls including many Win32 API calls.
The "compiled" product is an EXE. There is strong compatibility with WSH in its non-GUI project type, allowing many WSH scripts to be "compiled" and deployed as an .EXE instead of as .VBS or .WSF source files.
Because of its use of VBScript the Desktop edition is easy for a VB6 programmer to pick up.
Bob Riemersma
2009-06-21 15:31:00
A:
I don't personally know anything about Basic, but I once stumbled across references to Gambas, which looks like a Basic IDE for Linux.
From the website :
I want to clear up any misunderstanding immediately. Gambas does not try to be compatible with Visual Basic, and will never be. I'm convinced that its syntax and internals are far better than the one's of its proprietary cousin ;-)
I took from Visual Basic what I found useful : the Basic language, the development environment, and the easiness to quickly make programs with user interfaces. That's all. I could have chosen the syntax of almost any other language, but I was fed with Basic from childhood, so...
Don't look at me like that. He never actually said he was looking for a Windows-based solution.
Gary Verhaegen
2009-08-16 23:59:15