The case for Quick Basic in the 21st century.
Prior to the introduction of Windows 7, the files Qbasic.exe and
Qbasic.hlp were included in the self extracting zip file, olddos.exe,
which was available as a free download from Microsoft. It's no longer
available.
Early in 2013 I asked this question of the Microsoft Community; "How do I
obtain permission to store a copy of Qbasic on my web pages that can be
downloaded by anyone wishing to do so? Permission is all I require."
I was given verbal permission in a phone conversation with a Microsoft
representative. He said the software was obsolete and of no further use
to Microsoft. I couldn't expect more than a verbal OK in this case.
I've stored the necessary info for downloading Qbasic at this address;
http://members.optusnet.com.au/mskeon/qbastest.html
If Qbasic was installed in every computer on earth, it would be one of
the greatest communication tools emerging from the 20th century. There's
nothing else in the world that could compare in this field. The problem
now is that XP is the latest Windows version that will properly run the
software, and most folk have progressed beyond that.
Quick Basic can be used to great advantage to generate the frames for
animations. Here's an example from part 2 of my latest venture;
http://members.optusnet.com/au/mskeon/est-wst.html
But creating such animations is very time consuming and the files can
be extremely large. The Qbasic file which generated the frames is included
in the link following the animation and is only 2538 bytes. Posting a file
or providing a link to it can provide the equivalent of an animation that
could fill up a hard drive. Unlimited user input is also a feature of the
Qbasic animation.
The true value of Quick Basic is also evident in part 1 of my latest
venture. I use Qbasic to establish an average gravity force variation from
the normal resulting from Mercury's motion to and from the Sun throughout
its elliptical orbit. Calculations are performed at as many steps as
deemed necessary. i.e. For 1 second intervals, that would be 7603200 steps
where calculations are performed. I can post the program on a newsgroup or
store it on a web page. It can then be copied and pasted into Qbasic.
Everything is clearly set out and completely falsifiable.
If anyone is interested, there's a link to that program at this address;
http://members.optusnet.com.au/mskeon/pio-merc.html
Max Keon
