Questions tagged [basic]
BASIC is the acronym for Beginner's All-purpose Symbolic Instruction Code which is a programming language developed in 1964.
15 questions
0 votes
2 answers
172 views
How does Matplotlib / other GUIs work to draw the individual pixels?
So I wondered how matplotlib (or equivalents) makes graphics appear on your screen. I found that matplotlib does not do the drawing itself; instead it is built on TKinter, which is built on TK, which ...
- 107
-1 votes
2 answers
301 views
Why do some BASIC programmers put a redundant END statement at the end of the code? [closed]
Admittedly it's probably mostly in traditional BASICs (which require line numbers) that I've seen this. Take these examples (cribbed from Wikipedia): 10 PRINT "Hello, World!" 20 END and 10 INPUT "...
- 155
0 votes
2 answers
1k views
Why was the caret used for exponentiation in BASIC?
As far as I have been able to find, the first language to use ^ for exponentiation was BASIC, in 1964. Earlier languages, such as Fortran, used other symbols such as ** for exponentiation (although in ...
9 votes
3 answers
636 views
How does BASIC locate an out-of-order NEXT statement when the loop body is skipped
Set the WABAC machine, Sherman. This question is about BASIC in general, and Microsoft's BASIC-80 in particular. Old school basic. With line numbers. How do (or, rather, did) old-school BASIC ...
- 1,148
4 votes
3 answers
2k views
Writing Clean, Elegant Procedural Code (BASIC): Is There Such a Thing?
I learned to code in OO languages. I've always been interested in design patterns, clean code, etc., etc. - you know the type. Now at work I'm using a BASIC dialect. Given modern programming values, ...
- 419
48 votes
22 answers
12k views
Was classical BASIC ever used for commercial software development, and if so, how were limitations overcome?
Many of us, including me, started their programming life with programs written on home computers, something like 10 PRINT "ENTER RADIUS" 20 INPUT R 30 PRINT "CIRCUMFERENCE="; 2 * R * PI 40 PRINT "...
2 votes
1 answer
8k views
Why is BASIC bad? [duplicate]
Possible Duplicate: Do you think that exposure to BASIC can mutilate your mind? BASIC, and related dialects, have long been branded "bad". I've seen it said by some of the best programmers I know, ...
- 2,810
36 votes
16 answers
4k views
Does it hurt to learn bits of many programming languages?
I started my programming career with BASIC, during 9th grade. I learned a bit of BASIC by writing simple programs to add, subtract and to print. Then I went to the university and took Computer ...
5 votes
5 answers
894 views
TRS-80 Color BASIC as an inspiration for a new programming language [closed]
For a time now I have been wanting to make my own programming language. I'm 17 and the only language I know is Color BASIC. I know that compared to today's complicated languages, it's pretty weak. ...
- 51
3 votes
3 answers
2k views
Small Basic vs Microsoft Small Basic [closed]
Are Small Basic (SB) and Microsoft Small Basic (MSB) related or is this a confusion based upon similar names? I have read that SB is written in C and is GPL. The oldest date on SourceForge is 2004 ...
- 1,321
-1 votes
1 answer
2k views
Have any of you tried "Basic for Android"?
I have developed for Android for half a year or so and it is going quite well. I found the learning curve steep in the beginning, but then I somehow got the idea of it all and now I don't have to ...
- 117
10 votes
7 answers
6k views
How mature is FreeBASIC? [closed]
A friend of mine is considering using FreeBASIC in a critical production environment. They currently use GWBasic, and they want to make a soft transition towards more modern languages. I am just ...
- 4,449
9 votes
5 answers
766 views
Basic features for a basic language? DSL suggestions?
I've finally begun to understand the complexity behind creating an interpreter and a compiler. I've built several versions of TinyBasic, 1964 (Dartmouth) Basic, and my own expansions on those ...
- 91
4 votes
3 answers
558 views
Fiction that includes BASIC programs [closed]
Back in what must've been the mid-80s, when every microcomputer included BASIC and Choose Your Own Adventure Books were really popular, there were some novels that had BASIC programs listed in the ...
32 votes
16 answers
7k views
Do you think that exposure to BASIC can mutilate your mind? [closed]
It is practically impossible to teach good programming to students that have had a prior exposure to BASIC: as potential programmers they are mentally mutilated beyond hope of regeneration -- Edsger W....