07-11-2024, 04:36 AM
For me, it's been a fun ride. My first system was a T.I. 4A in 1980. That's 4K memory with a cassette tape drive. I managed to custom code a 4-player Monopoly game on it... In the equivalent of SCREEN 0, of course! Next was an Atari 16K system. I bought my first PC with Windows 3.1 and QBasic in 1990. I bought QuickBASIC almost immediately, just $50. Oh, the PC was $4,500, but hey, it was a state of the art 486, and only weighed 10,000 pounds.
I remember how I was constantly outgrowing QB, even after learning about multi-modular programming. I had to use single letter variables to cut down on memory, and probably spent twice the time I needed to code my projects because of the memory restrictions. When Microsoft announced they would no longer support QB on 32-bit systems, a couple of college aged coders, at the QBasic Forum, proposed making a 32-bit BASIC compiler. It sounded good, but knowing what was involved, well, I didn't see anything coming of it, until this guy, nicknamed Galleon, came long. It took some prodding, but I was able to get Mac, our forum owner, to put up a QB64 sub-forum for Galleon (Rob) and that's how QB64 got started. It was great to see the progress. His project successfully maintained compatibility over the years. I still recall how long it took to compile a large program, but that markedly improved over time. Since those days, QB64 past Rob has continued to grow thanks to other developers like Fell, at the former QB64 net site, and the developers here at Phoenix.
My old friend Mac, at the QBasic Forum, had in his signature, "QB Forever!" I wish he was still with us to see what is has become.
Pete
I remember how I was constantly outgrowing QB, even after learning about multi-modular programming. I had to use single letter variables to cut down on memory, and probably spent twice the time I needed to code my projects because of the memory restrictions. When Microsoft announced they would no longer support QB on 32-bit systems, a couple of college aged coders, at the QBasic Forum, proposed making a 32-bit BASIC compiler. It sounded good, but knowing what was involved, well, I didn't see anything coming of it, until this guy, nicknamed Galleon, came long. It took some prodding, but I was able to get Mac, our forum owner, to put up a QB64 sub-forum for Galleon (Rob) and that's how QB64 got started. It was great to see the progress. His project successfully maintained compatibility over the years. I still recall how long it took to compile a large program, but that markedly improved over time. Since those days, QB64 past Rob has continued to grow thanks to other developers like Fell, at the former QB64 net site, and the developers here at Phoenix.
My old friend Mac, at the QBasic Forum, had in his signature, "QB Forever!" I wish he was still with us to see what is has become.
Pete