QBASIC help

[ResidentWeevil2077]

If you really want to learn about computers, then my suggestion is that you repress all knowledge of QBASIC immediately, with the exception of the bare minimum you need to pass that class. QBASIC is a completely brain-damaged language, and it ends up putting fundamentally misguided concepts about computers into the minds of whoever learns it --- hence why your instructor himself is avoiding QBASIC like the plague.

 

After that, wipe your hard-drive clean and install only a very bare-bones UNIX system with a C compiler. Add in screen and learn how to use it; avoid X11 at all costs (for now). If you want to do anything that you can't do with sed and vi, write a program for it in C, partially-compile it, and then edit the assembly language code by hand. You'll be a world-class programmer in no time.

I agree. Even though I've never had any experience with any programming language (I fiddled around with VB.NET a few times, and actually have it installed on my comp in fact... ), I could tell you that QBASIC is rather (to be blunt and a little politcally "incorrect") R-E-T-A-R-D-E-D. Mind you with any programming language I read, I couldn't tell you what in the bloody hell the code is suppose to do (I plan on turning that around in the near future... 8) ), but QBASIC takes the golden trophy for all-time "retardedness". But yeah, take MB's advice (and pretty much everybody else who posted on this thread :rolleyes: )

 

BTW, Java happens to be a Canadian tech, and as useful as it is, I think the language was written with the Canuck in mind ;) . Maybe that's why Dark0ne had a hell of time with it methinks :wacko: ?

[ninja_lord666]

If you really want to learn about computers, then my suggestion is that you repress all knowledge of QBASIC immediately, with the exception of the bare minimum you need to pass that class. QBASIC is a completely brain-damaged language, and it ends up putting fundamentally misguided concepts about computers into the minds of whoever learns it --- hence why your instructor himself is avoiding QBASIC like the plague.

I'm not arguing with you on that. I know QBASIC isn't very good. I will not, however, forget all of it, as that information is needed to pass the class, but once the year is over, I'll get rid of it all. I'm not trying to be a "world-class programmer" as that is not the field I plan to major in. I'm planning on becoming a graphic designer, which does require programming knowledge, but not in every area. The reason I am taking this class is because I'm planning ahead. I'm not putting all my eggs in one basket ;) . So if graphic design doesn't pan out, I'll still have three back-ups (I'm also taking many science classes and I practice creative writing as well). What I'm trying to say is, you can stop "convincing" me to drop QBASC. I will later, but now I need it.

 

Any-hoo. I figured out the answer myself :P (it's a lot more complicated that I thought! Not as complicated as using the mouse, however...)

[Vagrant0]

Any-hoo. I figured out the answer myself :P (it's a lot more complicated that I thought! Not as complicated as using the mouse, however...)

In all fairness, for its time, Qbasic was one of the less complicated programming languages. You know, in those ages of DOS, and before windows 3.1. That time when computers themselves were only capable of running one moderately complicated task at a time. The fact that people are still learning it is mindboggling. It doesn't read exterior files or code, it can't write to exterior files, by and large, it isn't even useful for anything at this point. Yes, you have to learn it, but you might also want to bring the case before the administration demanding for something slightly more valid and useful for you to spend your time on, even so far as developing a new system for approaching a problem. You could probably get signatures from everyone in your class (and previous classes) too. If neither the teacher nor the students see any validity to the subject as it pertains to the current world, it isn't helping anyone. Now I could understand touching on it briefly just to give some people an idea of where programming was 20 years ago, but devoting months to it... That's just senseless and wasteful. Even if this is a public highschool, you deserve better (visual basic or C++ minimum).

 

Out of curiousity, what was the answer?

[ninja_lord666]

In all fairness, for its time, Qbasic was one of the less complicated programming languages. You know, in those ages of DOS, and before windows 3.1. That time when computers themselves were only capable of running one moderately complicated task at a time. The fact that people are still learning it is mindboggling. It doesn't read exterior files or code, it can't write to exterior files, by and large, it isn't even useful for anything at this point. Yes, you have to learn it, but you might also want to bring the case before the administration demanding for something slightly more valid and useful for you to spend your time on, even so far as developing a new system for approaching a problem. You could probably get signatures from everyone in your class (and previous classes) too. If neither the teacher nor the students see any validity to the subject as it pertains to the current world, it isn't helping anyone. Now I could understand touching on it briefly just to give some people an idea of where programming was 20 years ago, but devoting months to it... That's just senseless and wasteful. Even if this is a public highschool, you deserve better (visual basic or C++ minimum).

 

Out of curiousity, what was the answer?

 

Actually it can read exterior code (if you mean from a different .bas file). Many of the current QBASIC games have their sprites in one file then read them in the main program.

 

The reason I said it was more complicated than I thought is because you have to directly edit QBASIC using the PEEK and POKE commands which, if done incorrectly, can seriously screw up everything, in a bad way. If you want to see an example, I have a progam in my profile (yes, I really do :P ) in which you put dots on the screen using the mouse.

 

Edit: That program works fine, btw. It won't do anything bad.