La programming It is one of the tasks most important and fascinating in the world of computingHaving a mastery of program development is an advantage that anyone wanting to enter this field should know.
To take the first steps, it is necessary to know the most prominent programming languages that existAmong them, BASIC stands out, which provides an environment with simple yet easy-to-understand functions so that any user can master this technique.
In this article, we'll talk a little about this fabulous language, including its defining elements and the most prominent dialects. Don't miss our analysis, because It will help you easily understand what BASIC is..
What is the BASIC programming language and what is its history in computer programming?
BASIC is an acronym that corresponds to its English initials. “Beginner's All-purpose Symbolic Instruction Code”Which refers to a programming language that is aimed, in particular, at beginners. It was developed in 1964 under the original Dartmouth BASIC version (named after the school that gave rise to the development of the Hungarian professor John George Kemeny).
This programming environment provided a solution for that era, since programming at that time required users who were experts in custom-written software code. In this way BASIC could be used as a tool for programming and at the same time to teach programming to students.Currently, there are dialects that use this language for their development. Such is the case of the operating system. “Prawns” o “AmigaSO”.
These instruction codes made it possible for students or beginner users to use them easily. Furthermore, the language did not have a specific purpose; that is to say It could be used in any project because it allowed for advanced features and interactive functionality at the same time.
The acceptance of this language has always been good, but It experienced significant growth in 1975This was because it was introduced into the Altair 8800 microcomputer, which could store the entire BASIC program in its small memory. This represented a significant advance because Until now, all other languages were of a very large size. and they could not be stored on just any storage device.
In the late 70s, after Microsoft and Apple released their respective computers, BASIC versions for DOS began to be soldThis led Microsoft to establish its leadership in this language throughout the computing world. Furthermore, it achieved definitive dominance with the creation of Visual Basic on behalf of Bill Gates' company.
What are the elements of BASIC programming languages?
The most important elements in the BASIC language are:
Syntax
Being a programming language that is easy for beginner users to understand and that is interactive, BASIC only needs to use the commands LET, IF, PRINT, INPUT y GOTOIn this way, it will be possible to create graphs, write texts, read data (both numerical and textual) and make decisions according to a given writing.
If a memory data structure is added, other basic controls will be incorporated, such as FOR y GOSUBFurthermore, to avoid having a mandatory line numbering system, the following is used: RENUMBERwhich is no longer very common in modern BASIC dialects such as XBASIC y BCX.
Procedures
Programmers have a library that is built into the procedures of this language. This meant that, in the early stages of the language's implementation, users could not write their own processes, as they had to do so using the built-in library. GOTO remote.
This resulted in a complicated workflow. Very confusing diagrams were generated, which were difficult to maintain over time and often could only be understood by the programmers themselves.
Flow control
To solve the problem of procedures, statements were created that would function as subroutines.This allowed BASIC to branch without needing to access specific parameters or variables. Therefore, within the flow of procedures, returns can be made at the beginning or start from another place.
These new features were incorporated in QuickBASIC and BASIC PDS In the mid-80s, subroutines were established for procedures that do not return a value, and functions for those that do (but we will see this later when we analyze the most important dialects of BASIC).
Type of data
Each derivation of the language that we analyze It has functions for working with strings and substrings of characters.The data types recognized, for example in the first Dartmouth BASIC dialect, were numeric and character strings. This means that There wasn't a whole type, the strings being of a variable size and the numeric data being of a floating point.
Currently, something similar occurs where numerical data and strings are variable types. To distinguish them, a suffix is used, the chains being the ones that use the “$ sign” (for example, ADDRESS$), while numerical data does not use it. Except when you want to specify some important characteristic.
When there are arrangements that have a number greater than 10 elements, Variables must be declared before they are used. While this works currently, There is also the option to choose whether to declare variables before using them.This is because working in this way is considered a good practice in programming. If you want to declare these variables, you must use the word DIM.
What types of programs can be developed using BASIC programming languages?
The BASIC programming language is characterized by its versatility, as it allows for the creation of... games, mobile or network applications that have protocols HTTP, DNS, FTP o SMTPIn addition, one can also work in database such as MySQL or SQLite.
In this way we can say that, The environment provided by BASIC is suitable for any undertaking. and useful for any user level.
List of the most well-known variables in the BASIC programming language
BASIC is a language that allows for different programming variables. Below we will show you the most well-known, useful, and user-preferred compilers:
Quick BASIC and QBASIC
Quick BASIC is a compiler developed by Microsoft in 1985 It was based on BASIC and was used to work with DOS. It had the unique feature of fitting on a single diskette and It was distinguished by offering the possibility of adding or removing lines directly from a text editor.
This allowed software that was executable in DOS to be compiled and the program to be run without having to close the text editor. being able to delete a program before a file is created. Version 7.1 was the last one released to the market in 1990.Many people, when talking about this program, confuse it with QBASIC, which is also open source, which was created a year later and was inspired by Quick BASIC.
QBASIC is compatible with DOS, Windows, Linux, and FreeBSD operating systems.It has a structured language that It allows the creation of subroutines and while loops.This ensures compatibility. The created constructs can be replaced by descriptive labels. With this language the user has limitations with respect to the types of data generated by structures and others that are used for numeric data or text strings.
Download Quick BASIC Windows
Bywater BASIC
It is currently used as a BASIC interpreter. Any operating system that has a compiler C language Bywater BASIC can run because it supports ANSI Minimal BASIC X3.60. This dialect is compatible with the following systems: DOS, Linux, UNIX and BDS.
Download Bywater BASIC Windows
Visual BASIC
It is a programming language developed by Microsoft. Its latest stable version (number 6) an integrated development environment that allows working with a text editor, a structure for testing and eliminating errors that occur during the creation of the program. It also includes a compiler to transform the program into the Visual BASIC language., with a tool to remove unnecessary resources from the library and with a graphical user interface.
It is ideal for working with the Data Access Objects interface and ActiveX Data Objects. to send and receive information from databases. In 2001, the Win32 programming interface was abandoned and the use of .NET Framework until Microsoft stopped updating the system in March 2018.
It is characterized by providing a very fast learning curve for the user, working easily on the Windows operating system, and being able to quickly create small prototypes.
Download Visual BASIC Windows
FreeBASIC
It is based on BASIC and It is an improvement of QuickBASICIt offers features such as executable programs with graphical user interfaces (GUIs) and consoles. It also provides an online assembler and pointers. Its structure includes a set of functions that are implemented both dynamically and statically.
It has been in effect since 2004 and you can download its updates from the following link:
Download FreeBASIC for Windows
Power BASIC (paid)
It was launched under the name of Turbo BASIC and was developed by PowerBASIC Inc. in 1989It is a set of programs that translate user-developed code into a higher-level programming language. It has two versions. One is MS-DOS and the other is Windows.
For the first one, The language is very similar to QBASIC and its predecessor QuickBASIC.Whereas the second version is divided into 2 subtypes: Console and WindowsThis has a syntax that includes a good number of Windows functions, called Windows API.
It is characterized by its ease of use and the speed with which it compares to other programming languages. Furthermore, It has an online assembler. which allows for code optimization.
Its latest stable version was released in May 2011, and you can find compilers for Windows and other additional tools on its official website. which you will have to pay for to download their products.
Download Power BASIC for Windows
Pure BASIC
This compiler allows you to create executable programs that are small in size and incredibly fast. It allows you to work with Windows (32 and 64 bits), MacOS (x86 and x64), Linux (32 and 64 bits) and AmigaOS, thanks to the same source code, so it uses API functions from each of these OS.
A key new feature of PureBASIC is the ability to add assembly instructions that can be used by BASIC. This results in a more efficient and faster process.
Download Pure BASIC for Windows
Download Pure BASIC iOS
Download Pure BASIC Linux
BCX
Thanks to this free software, for both personal and professional use (in some tools), A BASIC-based programming language can be translated into C and C++.Its development is based on QBASIC and it is compatible with DOS, Windows, and LinuxIt was released in 1999 and is characterized by the absence of line numbers and its case sensitivity in function and subroutine names. Furthermore, variables and arrays must be declared before use.
Its last version was 6.9.9 in 2004 which is used for different developments and has several IDEs.
Download BCX Windows
YaBASIC
This language has basic BASIC functions and It is intended for Windows (from XP to 10), MacOS, Linux, Unix and PS2. Programming can be done with text editors, but it is not a suitable tool for the graphical environments of either Windows or XFree86.
Download YaBASIC for Windows
HBASIC
It is a compiler and debugger that has features that They facilitate programming through objects. These offer various special functions for inputting and outputting specific data. The graphics libraries they use are from the international KDE community. It is compatible with GNU/Linux..
Download HBASIC Linux
XBASIC
This program creates an environment for the development of systems based on the BASIC language. Although it was created in 1988, it wasn't until 1999 that it became free.It supports the following operating systems: Windows and Linux It is characterized by having a structured language that does not use line numbers. In addition, it has suffixes for text and numeric data types.
It is divided into three sectionsThe first part is the declaration of data types, while the second and third parts are the main function and additional functions, respectively. This allows for greater compatibility with binary-level programs.
Download XBASIC for Windows
Shrimps
Gambas is a computer environment that allows the development of programs that have a language derived from BASIC. It is compatible with Linux and BDSIt allows you to have controls to create forms through buttons or other tools so that they can be joined to databases of type PostgreSQL, MySQL or SQLite.
It was launched in 1999 as open source and It continues to receive constant updates to this day.Therefore, it allows for a fairly complete development environment.
Its components are a compiler, an interpreter to run the programs, a file archiver which creates a number for files so that they can be transported and stored more easily. It also features a GUI and IDE.
Download Gambas Linux
Just BASIC
It is one of the newest programming environments available. It was released in 2004 as freeware. It has the unique feature of having received only one update a year after its release and its distribution has remained active ever since.
It is based on its predecessor Just BASIC and QuickBASIC and is designed for the operating system Windows. It is characterized by not having a compiled language and because its source code is saved in a format “.TKN”This means it occupies the same space as the original file because it is not tokenized.
Download Just BASIC Windows
What are the main commands of BASIC languages?
The main BASIC commands we can mention are:
- PRINT: It is used to write texts or create graphics.
- INPUT: This command is used to read data and store it in a text or numeric variable. The symbol is used to differentiate between them. “$” For text-based ones. For example, “ADDRESS$”.
- LOCATE ROW, COLUMN: It is used to position the cursor on a specific grid into which the screen is divided.
- FOR X =¿? TO¿? NEXT: This command is used to establish a block of statements that will be repeated by means of a counter. For example, the command would be to write a specific word 5 times.
- IF THEN ELSE END IF: This command is needed when there is a decision structure in which a criterion must be entered. The system will determine an assigned result based on the variable.
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