Solved BASIC programs

[Wassock]

I have lived with XP for years, very happily. I am now trying to get used to W8, supplied installed with a new laptop: so far, I think it is not a patch on XP apart from speed. However, I use QBASIC very often to do small scientific calculations, and can't get any of these to run in W8. Neither can I transfer BASIC from XP. What's the answer, please?

 

[chrisa]

I have lived with XP for years, very happily. I am now trying to get used to W8, supplied installed with a new laptop: so far, I think it is not a patch on XP apart from speed. However, I use QBASIC very often to do small scientific calculations, and can't get any of these to run in W8. Neither can I transfer BASIC from XP. What's the answer, please?

Visual Studio 2012 Express is free. There are two versions... one of the desktop and one for the store apps. The desktop one builds .exe files like normal and is the easier of the two to learn and you'll simply need to learn how to toss up basic textboxs and buttons to take in input and how to format the VB code in the event handlers(like Click on a Button for calculate). For small stuff, its what i would suggest. The Windows Store Apps one is a bit more involved in that you have to use XAML for the front end and Visual Basic for the backend.

As per getting QBasic to run on Win 8? Good luck with that. You would probably need to run it out of a command.com window or something.

 

[DavidY]

I think you'll be out of luck because I'm guessing your new laptop has the 64-bit version of Windows 8? As I understand it, 16-bit applications don't run on 64-bit Windows 8.

If you do have a 32-bit version of Windows 8 then there's a link on this Wikipedia page to a Web Archive copy of an old Microsoft page which contains QBasic:
QBasic - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The link is in the text:
"Download QBASIC 1.1 from the Internet Archive (included in the "Old MS-DOS Utilities" part of Windows 95 CD-ROM Extras)"

I think it will work on 32-bit Windows, and (although you would have to enable 16-bit applications as part of the process).

However, if all you want to do is some scientific calculations, would the free Excel Web App be enough?
Introduction to Excel Web App - Office Web Apps - Office.com

Google Spreadsheets are an alternative too:
Google Drive

 

[wetibbe]

I have lived with XP for years, very happily. I am now trying to get used to W8, supplied installed with a new laptop: so far, I think it is not a patch on XP apart from speed. However, I use QBASIC very often to do small scientific calculations, and can't get any of these to run in W8. Neither can I transfer BASIC from XP. What's the answer, please?

__________________________________________________________________________

What scientific formulas ? Calculus, trigonometry, Pythegorean Theorum, the Fournier series.

1. Win 8 has a Math Input Panel;

Go to start screen, type Math. Open the window to the math panel. After just a little bit of tinkering you will get the hang of writing equations.

Alternately go down to the lower right corner and click the little triangle to open hidden icons. click the math input panel.

2. Win 8 also has four alternatives for calculators: 1. Standard. 2. Scientific. 3. Programmer. 4. Statistics.

Go to start screen, type calculator, then click view to select yours.

Chances are you'll find what you want.

 

[Wassock]

Thanks for the suggestions. I wasn't detailed enough, unfortunately. My BASIC programs, written for pleasure, include one that tells you what day of the week you were born on, and another which suggests a menu for the day, based on what it 'knows' of my kitchen stocks. So, they contain text and a range of commands which mean that maths apps are unsuitable. The program which calculates how long you will live, based on algorithmic questionnaires, is depressing!

 

[jimbo45]

Hi there
If you want QBASIC etc why not run these in a Virtual machine. I don't think you can run any 8-bit old programs on the current Windows versions.

Cheers
jimbo

 

[phailyoor]

Try using dosbox. it should work in that.

 

[DavidY]

Hi there
If you want QBASIC etc why not run these in a Virtual machine. I don't think you can run any 8-bit old programs on the current Windows versions.

Cheers
jimbo

QBasic does seem to work as a 16-bit application on my Windows 8, but it's because I'm running the 32-bit version of Windows 8.

It sounds like chrisa's suggestion of Visual Studio Express is the best way to meet the requirements. That menu-suggestion program sounds quite useful - if coded it up as an "app", Wassock might be able to sell it!

Edit: cross-post with phailyoor. Does dosbox work in 64 bit? If so it sounds like the way forward...

 

[Wassock]

BASIC programs - Wassock again.

Thank you all for your time and useful comments: a great forum! I looked at DOSBox, which seemed to offer what I needed, but a bit complex. I have read up on the other suggestions too, and tried a virtual machine solution using XP. However, W8 seems to exert a presence even there, and there are limitations on some functions.

What I have decided to do is to install XP Home as a seperate operating system: I can't remove W8 first, as I have no re-load disc, so I am using Partition Manager Hard Disc Manager Suite 12 to split my HDD in two. Then I will have a clear choice of W8 or XP Home, without mutual interference, and be able to learn W8 without hurrying: I still think it's been cobbled together by marketing men.

Thank you all again for your trouble. I will no doubt be back with another odd question in due course.

A quick PS for any sociologists or historians around: I shall be 73 shortly, and started my working life with British Tabulating Machines, immediately before it became ICT (now ICL). I could write a (potentially libellous) book about our adventures, and the characters involved: we had a machine made out of ex-telephone exchange uniselectors, which drew 20 amps, but could 'play' noughts and crosses. Programming used 12 steps, all of which had to be used, in sequence (there was no 'if ... go to'), and if you wanted to read memory, you had to ensure that the nickel-wire-wound drum was at the correct angle to allow your previously-written number to be read. "Men were men in them days". Correspondence welcomed, at andersonwarsaw@vp.pl

 

[jimbo45]

Hi there
You must remember working with THESE then.

I remember at Uni using an ICT 1905 computer with FORTRAN and having to enter data by punching the program on to these cards with a HAND punch -- then to check it run the stack of those cards through an "Interpreter" which printed the program line on top of the each card.

Often for a small mistake rather than re-punch you could fit the tiny punched bit back into the square again. -- Those were the days.

Card and Hand punch shown == note we had "slightly more modern" hand punches than the one shown but the machine was identical.



Cheers
jimbo

 

[AlanY]

I'm still using them




as bookmark!

 

[DavidY]

What I have decided to do is to install XP Home as a seperate operating system: I can't remove W8 first, as I have no re-load disc

Ah that's one way to achieve it (although I've a hunch that getting dosbox going will be simpler that getting XP and 8 to coexist).

The only thing I'd add would be to make sure you have made system image backups and also used the option to create the Manufacturer's Recovery Disks (assuming there is such an option) before embarking on adventures with XP.

 

[Wassock]

I certainly remember those punches, Jimbo - prior to that, we all carried a little steel punch-block and stylus for punching data into 8-track flexowriter tape. None of the early machines had a screen, of course, just columns of neons which showed the data in binary form. You may have seen the 'turrets' (attached) - 600 of these 2-valve units formed the centre of the early computers: many of us carried one converted to act as a tiny radio ... plug it in to a suspect socket, and if you heard music, the socket was OK.

Thanks for the memory.