Path: ...!news.mixmin.net!eternal-september.org!feeder3.eternal-september.org!news.eternal-september.org!.POSTED!not-for-mail From: candycanearter07 Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.action Subject: Re: BASIC turns 60 Date: Sat, 4 May 2024 23:10:03 -0000 (UTC) Organization: the-candyden-of-code Lines: 56 Message-ID: References: <5fb53jl8ob1vg7o4l18ujoqqv8qs8s1bku@4ax.com> Injection-Date: Sun, 05 May 2024 01:10:03 +0200 (CEST) Injection-Info: dont-email.me; posting-host="416bcec3944c80759d6ef2639c42d5c5"; logging-data="1536019"; mail-complaints-to="abuse@eternal-september.org"; posting-account="U2FsdGVkX1+DaEa3r8bCl9HHm6a2Gd1b6Bo1WfayJU2ngmS2WnvNbA==" User-Agent: slrn/pre1.0.4-9 (Linux) Cancel-Lock: sha1:RLoo0IsLlgz6Iw60wjkKg8/hrQc= X-Face: b{dPmN&%4|lEo,wUO\"KLEOu5N_br(N2Yuc5/qcR5i>9-!^e\.Tw9?/m0}/~:UOM:Zf]% b+ V4R8q|QiU/R8\|G\WpC`-s?=)\fbtNc&=/a3a)r7xbRI]Vl)r<%PTriJ3pGpl_/B6!8pe\btzx `~R! r3.0#lHRE+^Gro0[cjsban'vZ#j7,?I/tHk{s=TFJ:H?~=]`O*~3ZX`qik`b:.gVIc-[$t/e ZrQsWJ >|l^I_[pbsIqwoz.WGA] wrote at 18:38 this Thursday (GMT): > Justisaur wrote: >> On 5/1/2024 2:16 PM, Spalls Hurgenson wrote: >> > >> > I'd wager that even if you don't know anything else about it, most >> > people have at least heard of the BASIC programming language. Designed >> > as an easy-to-use language, its comparatively lightweight footprint >> > paired well with the newest microcomputers of the 70s and 80s. It was >> > the de facto standard language for many PCs - in fact, for the longest >> > time, even IBM PC/Compatibles would try to boot to a BASIC interpreter >> > if no boot-sector was found on floppy or hard-drive, burning the >> > nonsensical "No ROM BASIC System Halted" message into many a PC-users >> > brain if there was a disk failure). >> > >> > In some ways BASIC was the Java of its time; a common language that >> > (more or less) ran on many different computers regardless of >> > hardware.* Many classic games were coded in BASIC, and -even as the >> > world slowly moved away from that language - many developer's first >> > steps (and games!) were made using BASIC. Microsoft's first product >> > was a BASIC interpreter; without it, they'd never have had the cash to >> > 'create' their DOS operating system and we might still all be under >> > the thumb of IBM (and probably still using 16-bit processors. IBM >> > hated innovation). I myself have semi-fond memories of typing in BASIC >> > programs from some magazine into my 8-bit PC, and then struggling to >> > understand what the hell I was doing. >> > >> > Anyway, BASIC turned 60 today, with the first BASIC program being run >> > 1 May 1964 in Dartmouth College. So let's all raise a glass to this >> > pioneer of computing that helped make the microcomputer industry the >> > success it is today. >> > > >> > * not quite, since BASIC interpretations varied from platform to >> > platform, but - especially in the early days - it didn't take too much >> > effort to port programs between different systems > >> I took a BASIC class in Jr. College in the 80's, I made a few programs. >> The one I remember most was one that would roll D&D characters on 3d6 in >> order until you qualified for the class you wanted to play (1e/2e) which >> was over 1000 rolls for the one Paladin. > >> I'm still slowly trying to learn Javascript, but it makes absolutely no >> sense to me in comparison. I can type a simple program in and try to >> figure out why it isn't working, but that's about it, which is discouraging. > >> I had tried to learn Python many years ago on my own, but just didn't >> have the motivation, I remember it making a lot more sense though. >> Maybe I should go back to that, but I wanted the web native abilities of >> Javascript. > > I don't like coding. I do like breaking stuff though as a QA tester. ;) Wait you were a QA tester? -- user is generated from /dev/urandom