Basic is good to throw algorithm ideas together to test them before writing them in another language, it wouldn't surprise me if others do the same.codeWrapped wrote: ↑Apr 20, 2024 15:57Also wondering if free Basic is actually being used professionally for building applications?
I've always found Basic the easiest language to spot and correct errors and also to throw things around (eg trial and error) when trying to do something you are unsure of. The trend is Python unfortunately which has so many traps to fall into. If I wanted to design an abhorrent language, I would start with Python*. If I wanted to design a really good language I would start with Basic.
Python lasted about 3 months, Basic has lasted my lifetime, in recent years I've mostly programmed in C and PHP but still go back to Freebasic when toying with ideas.
* yes, I know there are other strong contenders.
I've said this before - if you show someone a Basic program that doesn't know Basic, they can have a pretty good guess at understanding what it is doing without resorting to a manual. The only reason Basic is not more popular is snobbery because the B stands for beginners which is nothing to do with the language itself, it could have been called anything.