4 ms·

IIRC the version bundled with DOS6.22 was severly limited: it couldn't generate executables and the built-in help was only for IDE, without help on the language

IIRC the version bundled with DOS6.22 was severly limited: it couldn't generate executables and the built-in help was only for IDE, without help on the language at all. That's because MS was also selling QBasic "pro" version. It was basically impossible to buy any software then in my country, so I was stuck with normal QBasic for a few years, until I got Internet connection and pirated a full version (it was still impossible to buy software here - no one bothered selling it at all here until a bit later). Still, bundling a quite capable IDE with an OS was a very nice practice, but it basically ended then, probably because MS also sold Visual Basic. Without QBasic I wouldn't have started programming at all - I wonder how it would be if I was starting right now. Is there any ubiquitous, simple language available basically everywhere and with a nice IDE by default? JavaScript almost fits the bill, but as a beginner who doesn't know any better you're likely to use Notepad, while with QBasic you had a real IDE from the beginning.

fredsted 12y ago
I started with QBasic too, and later on Delphi, dragging and dropping components on a window to create GUI programs. Nowadays you can get Lazarus for free. There's also NetBeans, KDevelop, Komodo, Virtual Studio Express, Xojo, and more. It depends what you want to do. And if you're on a Mac, I'd go with Xcode+Swift. Great language for beginners.
Narishma 12y ago
The version that came with MS-DOS definitely had extensive help on the language as well as the editor. It was an interpreter though, and couldn't generate executables like the commercial version which was called QuickBasic IIRC.
- klibertp 12y ago
  > The version that came with MS-DOS definitely had extensive help on the language as well as the editor. Are you sure about that? I may be wrong of course, but I remember pressing "F3" (which I think was meant to invoke help?) and getting nothing. That's actually why I bought a book, I think this one: http://www.amazon.com/Crash-Course-Qbasic-Greg-Perry/dp/1565299396 http://www.amazon.com/Crash-Course-Qbasic-Greg-Perry/dp/1565... (quite a nice one! I remember reading it cover-to-cover during summer break on a beach, without any computer in at least 20km radius...) But it's absolutely possible that I either had some ripped version or just couldn't find the right options. I mean, I was 8 at the time, knowing very little English, so that wouldn't surprise me at all :)
  - Narishma 12y ago
    Yes, I'm pretty sure. That's the way I learned, from the included documentation. I just checked in a Windows 3.11 VM I have laying around and it's definitely there, though it's shift+F1 to access the help, or just F1 if the cursor is on a keyword.
  - ms7821b 12y ago
    yep, the screenshots in the linked article are QBasic, not QuickBasic - check them out
simonh 12y ago
> Is there any ubiquitous, simple language available basically everywhere and with a nice IDE by default? Python comes close. It runs on just about anything, has a very basic GUI toolkit in the standard library (Tkinter) and comes with a syntax highlighting code editor with built-in command shell as standard (IDLE). Tkinter is ok for simple apps like a calculator. IDLE was written in it so it's fine for basic apps. For anything more complex there are wrappers available for native UI libraries, or you can use PyQt or PySide that both wrap the very capable Qt framework (a personal favourite). There are more feature complete IDEs, but honestly IDLE is a fine learning environment. There is a commercial version of Python available for the iPad called Pythonista. It has a serviceable code editor and a bunch of external libraries baked in, but doesn't have TkInter as the desktop GUI paradigm doesn't work on iOS. Instead it has wrappers for the native iOS GUI frameworks, and even comes with a visual UI designer.

fredsted 12y ago

I started with QBasic too, and later on Delphi, dragging and dropping components on a window to create GUI programs. Nowadays you can get Lazarus for free. There's also NetBeans, KDevelop, Komodo, Virtual Studio Express, Xojo, and more. It depends what you want to do. And if you're on a Mac, I'd go with Xcode+Swift. Great language for beginners.

Narishma 12y ago

The version that came with MS-DOS definitely had extensive help on the language as well as the editor. It was an interpreter though, and couldn't generate executables like the commercial version which was called QuickBasic IIRC.

klibertp 12y ago
> The version that came with MS-DOS definitely had extensive help on the language as well as the editor. Are you sure about that? I may be wrong of course, but I remember pressing "F3" (which I think was meant to invoke help?) and getting nothing. That's actually why I bought a book, I think this one: http://www.amazon.com/Crash-Course-Qbasic-Greg-Perry/dp/1565299396 http://www.amazon.com/Crash-Course-Qbasic-Greg-Perry/dp/1565... (quite a nice one! I remember reading it cover-to-cover during summer break on a beach, without any computer in at least 20km radius...) But it's absolutely possible that I either had some ripped version or just couldn't find the right options. I mean, I was 8 at the time, knowing very little English, so that wouldn't surprise me at all :)
- Narishma 12y ago
  Yes, I'm pretty sure. That's the way I learned, from the included documentation. I just checked in a Windows 3.11 VM I have laying around and it's definitely there, though it's shift+F1 to access the help, or just F1 if the cursor is on a keyword.
- ms7821b 12y ago
  yep, the screenshots in the linked article are QBasic, not QuickBasic - check them out

simonh 12y ago

> Is there any ubiquitous, simple language available basically everywhere and with a nice IDE by default? Python comes close. It runs on just about anything, has a very basic GUI toolkit in the standard library (Tkinter) and comes with a syntax highlighting code editor with built-in command shell as standard (IDLE). Tkinter is ok for simple apps like a calculator. IDLE was written in it so it's fine for basic apps. For anything more complex there are wrappers available for native UI libraries, or you can use PyQt or PySide that both wrap the very capable Qt framework (a personal favourite). There are more feature complete IDEs, but honestly IDLE is a fine learning environment. There is a commercial version of Python available for the iPad called Pythonista. It has a serviceable code editor and a bunch of external libraries baked in, but doesn't have TkInter as the desktop GUI paradigm doesn't work on iOS. Instead it has wrappers for the native iOS GUI frameworks, and even comes with a visual UI designer.