QBASIC book by Tony Hawken (and maybe other resources too)

[moon cresta]

Hello, this is my first post on the forum I think!

I got a Colour Maximite computer a few years ago, but didn't use it much until recently. I like the MMBASIC on it but there don't seem to be that many resources for learning it that I know of. Then I found out that MMBASIC is similar to QBASIC so I've been learning that for now instead. I'm interested in various types of BASIC, such as Locomotive BASIC on the Amstrad CPC, Atari BASIC on the Atari 8-bit computers... not a massive fan of Commodore 64 BASIC so far lol, although apparently it was designed to be more efficient, plus there are other forms of Commodore BASIC. 

So anyway, I'm learning QBASIC mainly from this book at the moment: "A course in programming with QBASIC" by Tony Hawken. I'm mainly using QB45 via DOSBOX on a Linux PC.. hopefully I'm still welcome on this forum, come to think of it lol. 

Hoping that posting here will help motivate me to learn BASIC quicker!

[mnrvovrfc]

Welcome to the forums.

Feel free to ask about programming in BASIC on Linux. A few keywords are supported only on Windows, unfortunately, but it's nothing to cry about. Make sure you check out the "Keyword of the Day" threads which always teaches something, especially the traps to get into. Don't pay a lot of attention to my posting on those threads... I mainly serve as "historian".

https://staging.qb64phoenix.com/forumdisplay.php?fid=49

One thing to remember is that the old INTERRUPTS aren't supported on WindowsXP and later systems, and a few things are emulated from 16-bit "conventional memory" and from input and output ports. It's not recommended to try to read the mouse with INTERRUPTS because QB64(PE) has had dedicated functions to do that for a while. Old programs still run which make use of those EGA "bit planes" but it's not recommended to start new programs with that technique. It isn't necessary because 32-bit color is supported, with transparency. This goes way beyond "SCREEN 13" supported by Q(uick)BASIC. A screen could be as large as you care to make it and you have enough RAM, but better off the screen if it's too large to display. Instead of "GET" and "PUT" arrays, screens could be set up according to your liking or your loading of sprites, then placed on the screen with "_PUTIMAGE", which supports flipping and stretching.

It only scratches the surface. There is a lot of information to take in but don't try to do it all in one day! Just relax and try your hand at programming in QB64(PE), and if you have a question, come back here to ask it without worrying about feeling like newton-born.

[Pete]

Hello, this is my first post on the forum I think!

I got a Colour Maximite computer a few years ago, but didn't use it much until recently. I like the MMBASIC on it but there don't seem to be that many resources for learning it that I know of. Then I found out that MMBASIC is similar to QBASIC so I've been learning that for now instead. I'm interested in various types of BASIC, such as Locomotive BASIC on the Amstrad CPC, Atari BASIC on the Atari 8-bit computers... not a massive fan of Commodore 64 BASIC so far lol, although apparently it was designed to be more efficient, plus there are other forms of Commodore BASIC. 

So anyway, I'm learning QBASIC mainly from this book at the moment: "A course in programming with QBASIC" by Tony Hawken. I'm mainly using QB45 via DOSBOX on a Linux PC.. hopefully I'm still welcome on this forum, come to think of it lol. 

Hoping that posting here will help motivate me to learn BASIC quicker!

Hi and of course you are welcome on this forum. A lot of us, me included, are old timers here. I started out on T.I BASIC, and yes, Atari Basic. I really loved that language back them. You could even customize your own ASCII characters with Atari.

Not a fan of Commodore? Neither was I.

Now that you found your way here, I hope you are trying to run your QB stuff in QB64. If you need any help with some minor conversions, just post the QB code in our HELP ME forum and ask for help to convert it. As mnrvovrfc stated, most keywords are supported and backwards compatible, some PEEK/POKE, some CALL INTERRUPT like the mouse routine are also supported; but many other gaming CALL ABSOLUTE and CALL INTERRUPT routines of old are not supported. Since they were 16-bit, developers would have to emulate them and frankly with the changes in memory address in PEEK and POKE and other obstacles set forth by 64-bit technology, that's just not going to be happening in QB64. I have a friend at my QBasic Forum who sadly had three grate very large action games that were almost completely loaded up with unsupported library call statements. Lucky for him, they did run in DOSBox.

Pete

[bplus]

Welcome @moon cresta   <<< ? is this not tagging because of the space?

I am inclined to sell you QB64pe because it can do so much more! but that can wait ;-))
I started with GW-Basic then QB 4.5 but have 0 urge for good ole days.
No more line numbers! yeah
No more Interrupts and Seg and High Memory something or other and Peeks and Pokes...
Of course we know why Pete is still a fan ;-)) 

Update: Wait... I do or did miss the relationship Basic had with OS with DOS. First loves and all that!
I started filling out Batch as PL with help of VB for DOS.

I mainly serve as "historian".

Ah so Minerva is also a historian as well as Linux reporter that explains all the replies that seem to me too much information but probably are highly appealing to computer nostalgia lovers. Definitely does help round out this forum! ;-)) 

What is history of MMBASIC anyway? I've never heard of it or paid attention if I did.
@mnrvovrfc in a nutshell for this nut?

[mnrvovrfc]

Welcome @moon cresta   <<< ? is this not tagging because of the space?

The middle has a CHR$(95). It cannot be seen because the user name is always underlined in the top field of a forum post.

What is history of MMBASIC anyway? I've never heard of it or paid attention if I did.
@mnrvovrfc in a nutshell for this nut?

That is one I never heard of nor read about until today.

[SMcNeill]

https://mmbasic.com

[bplus]

Welcome @moon cresta   <<< ? is this not tagging because of the space?

The middle has a CHR$(95). It cannot be seen because the user name is always underlined in the top field of a forum post.


OK might be progress if I knew how to sim a Chr$(95) keypress? 
Is it a combo (shift |Ctrl | Alt | other) + (spacebar | other)

@moon_cresta  < ? nope
I looked up the name under members and no underline in it, so I assumed none, silly me!

Oh I have idea
@moon cresta

[bplus]

https://mmbasic.com

Well that is nutshell but not skinny. The skinny is it works in Windows 10 and Dos and Raspberry Pi.

More? MM stands for Mimics Microsoft Basic.

[SMcNeill]

Welcome @moon cresta   <<< ? is this not tagging because of the space?

The middle has a CHR$(95). It cannot be seen because the user name is always underlined in the top field of a forum post.


OK might be progress if I knew how to sim a Chr$(95) keypress? 
Is it a combo (shift |Ctrl | Alt | other) + (spacebar | other)

@moon_cresta  < ? nope
I looked up the name under members and no underline in it, so I assumed none, silly me!

Shift+minus is the usual way to produce an underscore character.

[bplus]

Shift+minus is the usual way to produce an underscore character.

@moon_cresta

It does sim _ but _ is not a problem.