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QBASIC Programming for Dummies
I've read countless books and online tutorials on QBASIC, C++, PHP, and other various languages. I'm sure all you wise programmers can tell me the first sample program that comes to mind with any language, can't you? The classic 'Hello, world!' example. This easy app starts off would-be programmers with a level of confidence and understanding. To my surprise, Douglas Hergert decided not to use the ever-popular example program. So, you might be wondering, what did he use in it's place? A four-page-long currency converter.
This was Mistake #1.
The book started off making me feel stupider than I actually am. This oftentimes discourages readers from pursuing, and the book takes to the shelf, perhaps never to be picked up again. I've noticed that the best way to capture a reader's attention (and explain the most) is to start off with PRINT, INPUT, IF...THEN and GOTO. Then move on to loops, and get technical from there. It best prepares the reader for everything in store, rather than making them feel like idiots. The book didn't do this at all. It started off making in such a way that anyone without experience would be completely lost. IF...THEN doesn't even come in until the eleventh chapter, despite being one of the most important tools in the language!
So, what good can I say about the book? Not much, except that it came with some practical applications. This brings up another grievance I have with it, that being the lack of an accompanying disc. I feel every book on programming with long examples ought to come with a disc containing all example programs, so that the reader can tweak and observe them as he sees fit, without typing in five pages of code. The best way to learn is often by example, and discouraging lazy people doesn't help the learning process along.
Alas, the book does contain some humour, as it's other brothers and sisters from IDG often do. With chapter titles such as Text, Lies, and Videotape and How to Manage Arguments and Influence People, a book can't be completely bad.
Although I suggest beginners steer clear of this book, it can be useful to experienced programmers (supposing they don't think QBASIC a waste of time). It goes deeply into data structures, arrays, and databases. There are many helpful features, but it's definitely not a book to learn from.
You can purchase the QBASIC Programming for Dummies from bn.com. Slashdot welcomes readers' book reviews -- to see your own review here, read the book review guidelines, then visit the submission page.
Isn't "QBASIC Programming for Dummies" a bit redundant?
"I can not bring myself to believe that if knowledge presents danger, the solution is ignorance" - Isaac Asimov
Chapter 1: That game where the snake eats the numbers.
Chapter 2: That game where the monkeys throw bananas at each other.
Chapter 3: That game..
Slashdotter are stupid and biased.
You bought the book so im starting to wonder who realy is the dummy?
Actualy I have read several of those books, the one on linux was a decent read for a noobie.
I would feel pretty stupid actually reading a QBASIC book in 2003. Modern programming languages are easier to learn than QBASIC.
In short:
10 PRINT "QBASIC SUCKS"
20 GOTO 10
"Making your own Apple I keyboard in 21 days"
"Changing Vacuum Tubes in your ENIAC for Dummies"
"4004 Assembly Made Easy"
More like a "leaving your cave for dummies" book.
Please help metamoderate.
graveyhead writes "When I purchased World Domination for Dummies, I expected a clear, concise tutorial on how to take over the world. I'm new to the world of world domination, and, having had luck with the Dummies series before, thought this the best place to start off. How very wrong I was."
std::disclaimer<std::legalese> sig=new std::disclaimer; sig->dump(); delete sig;
Just look for the book with a black & white line drawing of a quarter-length bus on the front. (Apologies to anyone forced to learn QBasic for employment reasons...)
You know, I've seen many a troll in the comments, but never before have I seen one actually posted as an article.
Real Daleks don't climb stairs - they level the building.
I enjoyed the wonderful QBASIC language on my 33mhz AST laptop while listening to my 50kb midi on Windows 3.1 What exactly did you want to accomplish? I would rather program on my TI-83 Plus making programs like clocks that went through loops adding one to the milli seconds then to seconds ect for a time length of 3 min before i killed my batteries. Thats just me.
Cool, you work at Microsoft? How's the salary? I'm considering applying for a job there.
Nicolas Mendoza
Prepare for MSIE 7
Stay faaaaaar away from anything with the word 'BASIC' in it. You've been warned.
Where were you when I was 10 years old in my hobby shop buying my first Dungeons and Dragons set?
"Accept that some days you are the pigeon, and some days you are the statue." - David Brent, Wernham Hogg
You italicized grok because it is a Martian word?
There are no trails. There are no trees out here.
Please stay as far away from PERL as possible! Perl, on the other hand is a useful programming language. If you're confused, Perl is the language proper, perl is the interpreter, and PERL is that god-forsaken language that Matt writes all his scripts in.
If you want to learn to program, I would suggest starting with something a little more structured like Python or Ruby. Both of those languages are near to my heart.
A musician without the RIAA, is like a fish without a bicycle.
It most certainly is not redundant.
One line.........
10 OPEN "COM1:" as #1
explains it all. For RS232 work, QBASIC is gold standard for me.... For exerything else.. Forth baby!!!!
Excuse the Unicode crap in my posts. That's an apostrophe, and slashdot is busted.
QBASIC, Programming for Dummies