A Quick Introduction to QBasic

QBasic is short for Quick Beginners All purpose Symbolic Instruction Code. QBasic is an IDE complier and interpreter for a variety of the BASIC programming language (such as GWBasic, Visual Basic, etc) which is based on QuickBASIC.

QBasic is a high level programming language that allows us use English-like words and mathematical symbols to create programs.

Features of QBasic: 

1.  It is simple and easy to learn. It automatically checks synthax (in case of errors). 
2. It has dynamic program debugging ability. 
3. It supports local and global variables. 
4. It automatically capitalizes the reserved keywords. 
5. It interprets statements of a program one at a time to the CPU.
6. It permits user to break lengthy programs into modules (that can be referenced or linked).

The IDE made its first appearance in 1991. It was founded by Tom Kurtz and John George Kemeny of Dartmouth college. And Microsoft is known to be the developer.

QBasic can run under nearly all versions of DOS and 32-bit versions of Windows, or through emulation via DOSBox or DOSEMU on Linux, FreeBSD, and 64-bit versions of Windows.

QBasic is a structured programming language, which means there is room for some constructs such as subroutines, while loops and even Line numbers. QBasic executes the program line by line by converting each line into machine code one after the other using its interpreter till gets to the last line of code.

In most Nigerian tertiary institutions such as FUPRE, QBasic is usually the first programming language students are exposed to. Students are quickly briefed with some operations that they can perform using the IDE such as solving mathematical problems, making decisions, etc through the use of line numbers, remarks, loops, arrays, subroutines, etc. It can be fun if you get the knack of it, or otherwise frustrating. In FUPRE, CSC 111 is the first computer course for students and entails basic computer science knowledge, algorithms and flowcharts, and QBASIC.

Surprisingly, QBasic can actually be used to easily develop systems modules that can later be integrated to the main system, to create games, businesses applications, graphics and databases, etc