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General discussion

QBasic for Windows?

Jul 21, 2006 8:17AM PDT

Is there any way to download a version of QBasic for Windows for free? I don't want Visual Basic. I want something that will be compatible with directly transfered code from the DOS version of QBasic but will work on Windows XP without needing to use DOSBox. I've found something online called Liberty Basic, but it's shareware and only offers a free trial version.

Discussion is locked

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Re: basic
Jul 22, 2006 5:19AM PDT

If your evaluation of the free trial version is positive, why not buy that shareware version?

And what happens if you use QBasic yourself (as programmer) in a DOS-box, but compile to an exe (see http://qbnz.com/pages/faq/ ), then run the exe by doubleclicking in Explorer or via a pif-file. Those 2 methods will implicitely make a DOS-box, of course, but well, the program has to run in some window and that can't be a Windows window, so it has to be a DOS-window. But nobody will mind, because, in fact, it IS a DOS-program, not a program with a GUI (like you make with Visual Basic). And that seems to be what you want.

Hope this helps.


Kees

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$59. for a shareware program!
Dec 8, 2011 9:57AM PST

Liberty Basic's ad say $59. in one line and $49. in another. Assuming it is "reduced" to $49., I do not find that an inviting price for shareware. I don't see where the sharing is!

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Just wondering
Dec 8, 2011 7:41PM PST

how much it would have cost in 2006. After all, that is the date of the post you are replying to.

And about shareware. It's not freeware as freeware is free. Shareware can also be free but the author will often say if you like, you can purchase it. After all, he wrote it.

Mark

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Shareware
Dec 8, 2011 9:55PM PST

I thought the idea of shareware was free except for sharing some of the author's expenses in offering it. The idea, originally, was to share rather than to market a product - or so I may have been misled to believe.

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Isn't that up to the author?
Dec 9, 2011 3:50AM PST

And of course, we can always vote with our wallets and purses. We either purchase the shareware software or we don't.

Mark

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There are a lot of good alternatives to QBasic
Jul 12, 2007 4:55AM PDT

There are some very good alternatives to QBasic. Just Basic (JB) is a freebee download. Go here to learn more:

http://justbasic.conforums.com/index.cgi

This is a downsized basic interpreter from another program called
Liberty Basic

http://www.libertybasic.com

There is also XBasic

http://www.xbasic.org/

You can also find a lot of other links to free basic software at:

http://www.thefreecountry.com/

http://www.freebasic.net/

http://www.freebyte.com/programming/

I think, after you download and take a look at a few of these, you are going to find something satisfactory and to your liking. You should GOOGLE for more leads...there are just too many out there to try out to list them all.

QBasic is a long dead software, unfortunately! A lot of basic programmers have gone on to use some of these other programs or have even written them themselves. Freebasic, for example, is a compiler itself and can compile in a console like in the old days.

I still have my copy of QBasic, but its on an old OLD 5-1/4" floppy, and unfortunately they don't make 5-1/4 drives any longer! So even I can't use it. Microsoft pretty much killed QBasic, which I think is a tragedy...because they want people to work GUI wise, in a window and not at a DOS level.

Hope this helps you.

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(NT) Why reply to a year-old question?
Jul 12, 2007 6:11AM PDT
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THANK YOU for the reply to the year-old question!! :)
Jul 30, 2007 7:16AM PDT

The GREAT info above actually helped me a lot... 'cuz I'm just looking for an answer to this same question: on July 30, 2007!

So, I'm glad the person responded- even though the initial inquiry was a year old...

Often, as I websearch for stuff, I find refs to old questions like this one, and the answer helps me, even years later...

So, old questions never really die- they just get asked again by someone else Happy

Just an encouragement to those who post answers!!!

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THANK YOU for the reply to the year-old question!! :)
Jul 30, 2007 7:20AM PDT

The GREAT info you gave on QBASIC for Windows actually helped me a lot... even though the original questioner was back in 2006... So, THANKS!! Happy Happy Happy

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No Problem
Aug 11, 2007 6:53PM PDT

I am really late in getting back here to read your thank you...several weeks, in fact. No problem, I like helping people find the free stuff on the net...another one you might want to try out is FreeBasic. Just look it up. Also, if you are interested, in learning a little bit more sophisticated language, look up Pelles C Compiler. It's free and has a really cool RAD. Best of luck to you.

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(NT) THANKS, JIM!!
Aug 15, 2007 5:53AM PDT
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Unlikely. But here's a place to check.
Dec 8, 2011 10:06AM PST