Well i love the language and im just wondering if its up-to-date
and if its a good language to learn for a begginer

i cn't think of any realistic use for Qbasic these days, but it is a language none the less. It can teach you loops and such, but i would think C, C++ or Java would be a better starting language, as it will allow you to expand into objects etc.

Let me start by saying that I love Qbasic, I have TONS of qbasic programs that I have written over the years. I believe that QBasic was a great place to learn programming.

The key there is "was". Qbasic is not a great platform since the advent of windows XP. There are many little bugs that occur due to interaction with windows. Not being a GUI oriented language has its drawbacks as well. Although it is technically possible to write a windows program in qbasic -- not that there would be too much qbasic to the program -- the days of MSDOS programing have all but come to an end.

There are still some uses for qbasic as it allows for rapid development of simple programs in a rather easy to use IDE. I think its largest base is probably in scientific computing (one would think they would use state-of-the art tools like MatLab/Mathematica/Java/C++ but I have run across lots of data crunching in Qbasic).

There are some positives to learning in QBasic. One thing is that graphics programming in qbasic is rather low-level and so it can be helpful in learning concepts without having to learn all the overhead of DirectX or OpenGL. Some would say that it is easier to learn DirectX/OpenGL then learn how to program the VGA card and write graphics routines, and I guess they would be right, but there is a lot to be said for learning how things work at the lower end.

well, i guess your right. too bad, oh well.

but i do have a question

is it ok to just sort of play around with other languages when your
trying to learn another?

This post has been edited by kaufman: 17 Jun, 2007 - 10:12 AM

Absolutely...the more the merrier. Just have to keep them straight!

Like anything else there are good points and bad points. I think the good out weighs the bad.

By seeing how different languages implement or deal with different control structures and data structures you get a better understanding of how to use them. Another benefit is that you learn not to depend on language specific features until you need to. It can be hard for a VB programmer to move over to say C++ or Java because they think in terms of VB which has a rather sloppy object orientated model. So, while you will still want to pick different languages for different features of that language, you learn to think of them as "features" of the language, and not "how its done."

The biggest draw back for me has been the tendency to add semicolons to the end of lines in languages that don't use that. Or, alternatively, to forget to add them in languages that do.

I say: always look at a things from as many different angles and views as you can get. Just know your own limits. Don't try to master 5 languages at once. In my opinion, to master a language you need to know other languages and understand different paradigms, but you need to work in that language more than any other. Learn to implement or simulate the features and advantages of other languages within your language of choice. To do this you need to understand what people are doing in the other languages, but you need to deeply understand your own. -- once you master one language in a given paradigm it is easy to master others. (though mastering languages in another paradigm may actually be a little harder since you have taught yourself how to think in terms of one paradigm -- so for example learning a procedural language like C or VB, and then moving to a functional language can be difficult. Moving to a nondeterministic paradigm (from either a functional, or procedural paradigm) is so totally alien that you almost have to start from scratch).

I agree with NickDMax.
QBASIC and GWBASIC were my first Programming Languages and I don't regret studying them at all.

It's a great place to start but don't waste your time mastering the language.
As NickDMax said, its practical use is almost zero.

So learn the Loop Structures, Arrays and File Handling Methods and then move to something else.
Knowledge of QBASIC helps a lot in VB since the syntax and code constructs are similar.

I started with vb6, which is a great language for beginners, but started .net as well, not much later, and i know there are free compilers and environments for both. I've found learning two languages almost simultaneously, quite beneficial.

Q: Is QBasic a viable language?
A: If you still run an OS that comes with it installed.... yes.

I agree with everyone else. Try learning C or C++. I have various resources at home for QBASIC 4.0, but I never use them.

I started WIth QBASIC on a Windows Xp Platform, but i still did it. It was PRetty fun.

I think QBASIC is great language to start with. Even though its not useful to write software, it makes a comfortable start for programming and gives you a strong foundation. Shifting to other languages then doesn't become much of a problem (all thats left is learning programming methodologies such as OOP, Event Driven Models and so on, syntax of the other languages, etc..).
And Yes as shadow18 said, its fun especially when you are a beginner since you can write great programs from the start.

This post has been edited by Louisda16th: 20 Jul, 2007 - 08:50 PM