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 "FJones" 
asked on November 26, 2006 6:23 PM
in an unrelated thread [NavList 1752] Re: Latitudes by lunar distance.
was: Lunars with and without altitudes


| How did you manage with the computer 'basic' matter raised
| sometime in the dim past?

This was addressed to me, and relates to a request I had made, for a
way to get access to some near-relation of "QuickBasic", on my PC
using an XP opsystem. I had become used to QuickBasic, and one's
freedom to use "naughty", non-correct tricks, such as uninhibited
Gotos, frowned on elsewhere. This was a year or so ago, on the Nav-L
list.

Nav-L members were very kind, and led me to two alternative solutions
to the request.

One was BC7, intended for use with DOS systems, which came with some
Awful Warnings about the damage that might ensue if it was used
elsewhere. I didn't find out if those warnings were justified;
probably not, though.

The other was FBIde, an IDE for FreeBasic. (Dan Allen once explained
to me what IDE is short for, but I have forgotten again since.) This I
have implemented, and used, but not intensively or deeply. It has
worked well, for me, in my simple applications, but no doubt has great
depths, undiscovered by me.

Complaints? Yes. I am speaking of a mid 2005 version, and things may
be better now. The only manual I could find was in an online version,
which could be printed out, but was a real pain to use in that form.
That's because all cross-referencing was done by links that of course
don't work, and aren't shown, on the downloaded printout. I like to
have a printed manual, in user-friendly form, available, and I hate
"on-line help", for which I can never discover how my question should
be formulated. With QuickBasic, there was a superb manual which I
still have and have found useful with FreeBasic, though there are
differences. An example of a difficulty with the documentation of
FreeBasic is the explanation of the Function ATAN2, which completely
misses the point of what it's for. I would be prepared to pay real
cash for a decent printed manual for FreeBasic, if one exists now.

George.

contact George Huxtable at george@huxtable.u-net.com
or at +44 1865 820222 (from UK, 01865 820222)
or at 1 Sandy Lane, Southmoor, Abingdon, Oxon OX13 5HX, UK.


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