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Creative Musings.

Started by GWS, January 31, 2015, 08:38:38 PM

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GWS

Hi Folks,

A few thoughts about using the iconic Creative Basic .. :)

This programming language started life many years ago as IBasic, using  .iba files. It became known as Creative Basic using .cba files when it was revamped slightly.  The two types of files are interchangeable.

As a result, this language has been tried and tested over many years, and can be relied upon to tackle many kinds of application. It is what it is, and will not change. To my mind this is a good thing. ;D

For those who want to use an OOP'y approach without all the hype, it provides Structures (User-defined types) instead of Objects, and Subroutines instead of Methods.  All much easier on the brain, since it's all done in standard Basic. :P

Some people have said ' it's a dead language ' - a strange concept. ::)

I have a 'bubble level' amongst my tools, that belonged to my wife's father. It's over 80 years old, looks weather beaten, but still works perfectly. Many of my other tools are as old as I am - and I use them regularly.

It's not necessary to have 'updates' every year to get jobs done.

Why wait for Microsoft's latest whizzo offerings, putting off projects 'til the next version - as if things are paralysed until 64 bit arrives for instance.

Most applications can be worked using 'old' languages - good old Visual Basic and Delphi for instance.  What matters is how the program looks when it's done - and Creative can make some pretty good looking applications in many fields.

So give it a go - it's free - you might find you enjoy using it.

All the best, :)

Graham



Tomorrow may be too late ..

AdrianFox

I love your way of thinking, which is so absolutely true.   

In my foolish elder years as I approach 70, I have become the owner of a Chromebook,  and so have tried to 'convert' to Cloud computing for many tasks.  In some ways it is like going back to my DOS days (in a very negative way) and I find myself using a spreadsheet which I need to update daily,  but then find that the Cloud provider is 'off line' for whole weekends at a time. Never happened with an MS DOS spreadsheet!

When it ain't broke, why fix it?  The main trouble with Windows is that it is progressively becoming more and more antagonistic to good old fashioned programming and seems to construct obstacles instead of facilitating the wonderful massive world of independent programming that is out there.

I have no idea now where the 'future' will lie.  But while it works, we should all keep doing what we know best.  I rather think Windows is already in its death throes, though few people have quite woken up to the fact!

I am already fed up with my Chromebook and the pathetic 'apps' that are available for it,  trying to do so many things I took for granted even in the days of Window 3.1!

I'm glad that so many programs do still run under the latest aberration which is Windows 8.1!  But for how much longer will that be true?


Adrian Fox

Egil

Graham:
I couldn't agree more. Many of my programmer friends here in Norway, all Objects and Methods freaks of course, are quite surprised when they see what has been done with CB.


Adrian wrote:
QuoteI rather think Windows is already in its death throes.

I have thought so for a couple of years now.

My computers are used mainly for three tasks: Sound recording and editing, digital transmission and decoding for my radio transceivers, and hobby programming.
The two first, which both relies heavily on the computers sound card, is more or less impossible to do with Win8.1. And it doesn seem like it is going to be easier using Win10.
Therefore I have started to look into other operating systems.
And after studying, and trying, Chromebook plus a couple of Linux distros,  I have decided that my next home computer will be a Mac. Until then I cross my fingers, and hope that my present computers, both running Win7 Pro, will still last for many years. But the day the support for the system is stopped, I'll buy a Mac.

Support Amateur Radio  -  Have a ham  for dinner!

aurelCB

I also agree with Graham in all points but where are people who sometimes visit
all this basic and programming forums ,it looks to me that all gone..
Anyway yes some people thinks that OOP way is the the only good way or the best way
but that simply is not true OR is far away from real true.
I really don't care to much about update to new OS ,yes i still use good old XP
and all programs i use works fine on XP .
I also hope that new WIN 10 should work fine...
;)

GWS

Hi guys,

Good to read your views ..  :)

Aurel says:
Quote
I also hope that new WIN 10 should work fine...

Unfortunately, Microsoft seems to act like our government - they just don't listen to what people want.

An operating system should be a 'background', unobtrusive piece of software, that handles Files, Printing and the computer hardware via the API libraries.  Other software like Browsers, antivirus, office applications etc. should be installable separately.

Win3.1 and 95 were benign not obtrusive - they did nothing unless you asked them to.

With each new release, they seem to deliberately leave out another key chunk of software like d3drm.dll in Win7 (which scuppered 3D graphics programs), and in Win8, the files handling midi music. Not a good way to treat customers.

Adrian has obviously searched for an alternative. My daughter is currently in the market for a new computer - maybe an all-in-one Mac. She chatted to the guy in charge of a large Mac installation at their University, but his view was that he still preferred Windows.  There is also the small fact that Macs cost twice as much as a Windows machine.

Since personal computing became available, Basic has always been looked down upon as an inferior programming language.  I have always disagreed with this view - it's simple and effective.

You don't need to have taken a 5 year computing degree to use it. With intuitive commands, it frees your mind to focus on the algorithms needed for the application in hand - rather than struggling with obscure language syntax.

Where have all the users gone?  ::)

My theory is that the fall off coincided with the rise of the dreaded mobile phone industry. Surrounded by easily transferred music, pictures and Apps - people may not have the time to 'waste' developing software of their own.  If so, they are not keeping their minds active - and they sink into being walking phone zombies, with no life apart from their tiny phone screens.

My granddaughter stares at her crazy grandad in horror, when I tell her to just throw her phone on the floor and stamp on it. :P  Just kidding of course ..  ;D

The World of programming is still available fortunately, and Creative Basic is a good example.

A recent user on Coding Monkeys asked about using Menus, and I found his closing comment very satisfying ..

Quote
Creative BASIC is a wonderful tool !

Another satisfied customer ..

Best wishes, :)

Graham



Tomorrow may be too late ..

GWS

January 23, 2017, 08:00:22 AM #5 Last Edit: January 23, 2017, 08:29:32 AM by GWS
Hi folks,

Well two years on - and I haven't changed my thinking about Creative Basic.

It's still one of the best general purpose programming languages available. ;D

Some good Basic offerings like PowerBasic and RealBasic and their forums are barely available now.
Microsoft's Visual Studio is a monster that takes over your machine and still can't do 2D and 3D graphics.

Purebasic is still available but it's a bit of a culture shock to use.

Meanwhile Creative, born 15 years ago in it's IBasic form, marches on into Windows 8, unchanged and capable as ever producing stand-alone .exe files that require no supporting library files

The GUI interpreter and it's debug facilities are easy and satisfying to use.
It's maths and built in graphics facilities are excellent.

As with QB45 and VB, some people are still using these simple Basics to do useful work - and as long as that is the case, referring to them as 'Dead' languages is incorrect.

Creative Basic retains the feel of the original versions of Basic, except that nowadays, no line numbers are required, and you can easily design Windows using all Window's controls.

You can still program lots of interesting applications using Creative, and what's more, enjoy doing it. ;D

All the best, :)

Graham

Tomorrow may be too late ..

LarryMc

LarryMc
Larry McCaughn :)
Author of IWB+, Custom Button Designer library, Custom Chart Designer library, Snippet Manager, IWGrid control library, LM_Image control library