I was wanting for most of you to be wrong when you said that QBasic was possibly the worst programming language around. Sadly, you all where right.
I have had a good few weeks in my "Introduction to Programming" class, and I have to say that QBasic is crap. It doesn't seem any easier to use than Python or any other simple language, but it teaches bad habbits from the getgo.
I could have invented up a better programming language on the back of a cocktail napkin.
What was my local community college thinking when they decided to put it as something to start the kids out on? "Hey, I got an idea, lets screw with the kids heads a little, teach them the wrong way and then let them figure out why they are having so much troubles understanding java/VB. Sorry, my little rant for the day.
ID:187072
 Feb 22 2005, 10:04 am (Edited on Feb 22 2005, 10:09 am)
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Feb 22 2005, 10:08 am
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SSJ2GohanDBGT
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You should try Pascal =P
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I learnt to program using QBasic. It really isn't all that bad. I wouldn't use it for most things, but it's quite quick to whip up simple programs in. I have a friend who occasionally whips up simple physics simulations in it. The graphics system is really simple to use; even Python makes you download at least one library before getting that level of control over your screen.
Also remember that it's a very old programming language. Cut it some slack, please. =) Chances are your school is teaching it badly. You can do procedural programming in QBasic just fine. Not object-oriented (that came after QBasic, IIRC), but fine for learning in. That said, it's not of much use in the "real world", and there are better languages to learn with these days. Why not introduce your teachers to Python? ;-) | |
Well, I still think it is a very bad programming language. It is old, but that doesn't change the facts.
An 50 year old car probably wont run, sure, it ran fine when it was new, but times have changed. Even if you could make it run, it would never pass todays standards and would be way harder to get to the store in. They have tought us the GOSUB methoid, and it does clean up the code a bit, but it is still a pain to use. It trys to be idiot proof, but that hasn't helped me so far, just slowed me down. I would love to introduce my teacher to python, but he has a curriculum and goes by it, I doubt he would take a second look at python. He is also very old. He looks like he was around before the first real computer. I doubt he could learn another language. I really see no point in teaching kids in QBasic, it seems like a bad starter from the get-go. Why not start them off in something simi functional. The next level class is an introduction to java, I don't see why you couldn't have combined those too by introducing programming with java. Ok, this rant is done. | |
I've done a bit of screwing around in QBASIC too. It's fairly easy to use, and, though it's not an excellent language, it's still fairly useful at times. I wrote a Snake game in QBASIC, something that is really difficult to do in BYOND. I also wrote a command-line encryption program using matrix encryption. I still haven't been able to convert that algorithm to BYOND successfully.
Crispy is right. It's a not a great language, but it's decent. | |
My computer programming class in high school consisted of one semester of Pascal and one semester of Fortran. Taught on TRS-80's. Not that I remember any of it... :P
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Like Crispy my first language was QBasic. It's not great, and thanks to the teacher not knowing the language (or any programming language for that) I didn't really learn much QBasic, but it's not a worthless language.
It teaches the basics of programming. The average person wont just jump straight into 'real' programming languages, and if they do it'll cause problems. | |
I haven't used QBASIC at all, but I started with BASIC v2 and have heard that QBASIC did not change too much from the old days of BASIC.
I have to agree with you and Crispy. It is nothing great, but it's not terrible either. It is extremely simple to learn, and the knowledge you get from it can help to learn other programming languages better. It was also nice in the old days to have the computer turn on instantly and be ready to input code in half a second, though the same cannot be said of loading data from a disk. | |
use ChipmunkBASIC! it's cross-platform for Windoze, Linux, MacOS 6/7/8/9/X, and PalmOS! can even do a bit of Object-Oriented Programming with it! :)
(gratuitious linkage) http://www.nicholson.com/rhn/basic/ ChipmunkBASIC for PlayStation PSX - http://psxdev.dragut.net/ :D | |
Flick wrote:
My computer programming class in high school consisted of one semester of Pascal and one semester of Fortran. Taught on TRS-80's. Not that I remember any of it... :P Same, except ours didn't offer anything except Pascal. I leared QuickBasic because a friend showed me it a long while back. I think the only thing I remember about pascal was how annoying output was to do, and the first line was "program" ... I think. | |
Scoobert wrote:
Well, I still think it is a very bad programming language. It is old, but that doesn't change the facts. And I disagree! An 50 year old car probably wont run, sure, it ran fine when it was new, but times have changed. Even if you could make it run, it would never pass todays standards and would be way harder to get to the store in. I know some car enthusiasts who would disagree with you on that one. =) They have tought us the GOSUB methoid, and it does clean up the code a bit, but it is still a pain to use. GOSUB? Pffft. QBasic can actually do real functions, despite popular belief. =) Here's the first relevant tutorial I could find on Google; it isn't great, but it'll do for starters. Scroll down to the bit about FUNCTION ... END FUNCTION. It trys to be idiot proof, but that hasn't helped me so far, just slowed me down. Beginner languages usually are idiot proof. If they weren't, they wouldn't be beginner languages, thus negating their entire purpose for existing. ;-) Do what I do: Go on the 'net and learn as much about the subject as you can. Then go to class and write some amazingly spiffy game in QBasic using all the advanced features you've discovered. Then it actually becomes interesting, you get an A+ for the class, and the teacher gets 0wned. =P | |
I might just have to start using the function a bit more. GOSUBs seem to be a really stupid way of doing things. (subs still have their uses, but at least I can use them a lot less)
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But, but, Crispy!
My text is black and not white! So, I can't see my text when I run my game, thus, no game! *cries* | |
Hell Ramen wrote:
But, but, Crispy! You mean on QBasic? You can easily change the background colour, if you so choose. | |
Jon88 wrote:
Hell Ramen wrote: Sorry for being a nub, but I can't find that. <_<; I understand the tutorials (what I've read so far, atleast) | |