5 ms·
FreeBASIC is a free/open source BASIC compiler for Windows DOS and Linux
- orionblastar 1y agoThis one emulates GW-BASIC as PC-BASIC so old BASIC programs for the IBM PC DOS systems can run on modern systems: https://robhagemans.github.io/pcbasic/ https://robhagemans.github.io/pcbasic/ FreeBASIC is like Microsoft's QuickBASIC. More BASIC Languages: https://www.thefreecountry.com/compilers/basic.shtml https://www.thefreecountry.com/compilers/basic.shtml
- WalterGR 1y ago> FreeBASIC is like Microsoft's QuickBASIC. Except that it doesn't emulate Microsoft's QuickBASIC, or ... ?
- banana_giraffe 1y agoIt does support "-lang qb" which is designed to specifically limit FreeBASIC to a QuickBASIC compatible dialect.
- TonyTrapp 1y agoAnd more specifically, "-lang qb" is more or less how FreeBASIC started out. The more modern dialects came later, and became the default, hence the addition of "-lang qb".
- vunderba 1y agoIt really isn't - from the docs themselves: FreeBASIC gives you the FreeBASIC compiler program (fbc or fbc.exe), plus the tools and libraries used by it. fbc is a command line program that takes FreeBASIC source code files (*.bas) and compiles them into executables. In the combined standalone packages for windows, the main executable is named fbc32.exe (for 32-bit) and fbc64.exe (for 64-bit) The magic of QuickBasic was that it was an editor, interpreter, and help system all rolled up into a single EXE file. Punch F5 and watch your BAS file execute line-by-line.
- anthk 1y agoKinda like any Forth. Even PForth has a bundled block editor and a rudimentary help system.
- bencollver 1y agoWasn't QBasic the interpreter as opposed to QuickBasic the compiler?
- analog31 1y agoThis is what I recall too. QuickBasic was perhaps BASIC's answer to Turbo Pascal, a relatively lightweight but usable text based IDE. I knew some happy users.
- orionblastar 1y agohttps://winworldpc.com/product/quickbasic/45 https://winworldpc.com/product/quickbasic/45 for a look at QuickBASIC 4.5 abandonware; they also had QuickC and QuickPascal.
- pjmlp 1y agoNo, the answer was Quick Pascal, however Microsoft didn't really cared that much about it.
- deleted 1y ago[deleted]
- vunderba 1y agoIt's been a long time, but my impression was that QuickBASIC had an interpreter and the ability to compile. Then later on, Microsoft bundled a more limited version called QBasic with later versions of MS DOS which lacked the compiler. But all of them (QBasic, QuickBASIC, Microsoft PDS, and even Visual Basic for DOS which almost nobody remembers sadly) had the editor, interpretative execution, and built-in help.
- 1y ago
- lproven 1y agoNo, FBC is not like QuickBASIC: there's no IDE in FBC. However, the QB64PE project does have an IDE. Some screenshots in this thread: https://qb64phoenix.com/forum/showthread.php?tid=2469&pid=23419 https://qb64phoenix.com/forum/showthread.php?tid=2469&pid=23...
- gus_massa 1y agoOld discussion: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38730966 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38730966 (105 points | Dec 2023 | 70 comments)
- gitroom 1y ago[dead]
- andrea76 1y agoIs there an ide with form designer like visual basic?
- TonyTrapp 1y agoI think FBEdit was the closest to that, but like with most other languages, it never reached the same level of integration and quality because forms are simply not first-class citizens in FreeBASIC, unlike VB where the whole development process evoled around forms. You always need native GUI code or use a GUI library like GTK to achieve the same in FreeBASIC.
- lproven 1y agoNot with FreeBASIC. Others that do: Gambas, Xojo, RAD BASIC, Twin BASIC.
- Libcat99 1y agoNot free, but this was one of my favorite things when learning to program. https://everybasic.info/lib/exe/fetch.php/basics/vbdos-3.png https://everybasic.info/lib/exe/fetch.php/basics/vbdos-3.png Visual Basic for DOS.
- larodi 1y agoI really wonder why MS would not supper the whole BASIC legacy that anyway exists even without them.
- anta40 1y agoI have some CDs from a computer magazine (in the 2000s) which provided you code archives even back to 90s (including good old QB stuffs). FBC easily compile lots of them. Well, too bad still no macOS support.
- zozbot234 1y agoDid you check whether these are available on Internet Archive already?
- anta40 1y agoThe magazine I meant is Mikrodata. It's an Indonesian IT magazine, which was was closed few years ago. Until 2000-ish, the magazines came with CDs which has code archives from practically all Mikrodata contributors. I started learning programming in 2002 with VB, so it felt kinda amusing looking at 90s DOS stuffs (Turbo Pascal 7, QB, TASM) etc
- zozbot234 1y agoLooks like the Internet Archive has no content from this magazine as of yet! It may be that they have it archived privately and it's just hidden from public view, but you may want to write to Jason Scott https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jason_Scott https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jason_Scott (who works on the Software section at the Internet Archive) about getting this stuff backed up and archived properly for the foreseeable future. As an official archive and library, the Internet Archive is one entity that can keep copies of rare and fragile content safely backed up (and CD coverdiscs from old Indonesian magazines definitely qualify) without being restricted by copyright laws as most other people and organizations might be.
- Firehawke 1y agoMicrosoft really should go back and look into open sourcing more of their really old tools. Get versions of MASM, QuickBasic, VisualBasic (the DOS version, of course), and so forth out there. There's a lot to learn from these old tools and it'd be nice to have this stuff opened up for tinkerers on ancient platforms. It's not like MS is going to make any money off any of this anymore, nor is it viable for use on a modern platform even with substantial effort.
- JdeBP 1y agoOf course, things like NASM have existed for a long time precisely because MASM and TASM were not open source. * https://www.nasm.us https://www.nasm.us
- ironicgnome 1y agoBut can it run Nibbles or Gorillas?