FreeBASIC vs QBasic Compatibility: Can Learning QBasic Help Me Transition? (Non-English Speaker Struggles!)

[Macro]

Hi everyone! I’m a self-taught beginner trying to learn programming logic with FreeBASIC, but I’m struggling due to the language barrier. Since most FreeBASIC documentation is in English (and even AI translations confuse my "Z80 brain" ), I’ve turned to QBasic for guidance. Though outdated, QBasic has more resources in my native language, which helps me grasp concepts like loops, conditionals, and program structure.

My Questions:

Compatibility: How similar is FreeBASIC to QBasic? Can I reuse QBasic code/logic directly, or are there major differences?

Learning Logic: Will practicing with QBasic help me build foundational skills for FreeBASIC, or am I learning "obsolete habits"?

Pitfalls: Are there QBasic quirks that don’t apply to FreeBASIC and might trip me up later?

[bfuller]

Did you already find the WIKI and this?

https://www.freebasic.net/wiki/LangQB

[srvaldez]

Macro, I invite you to join the FB Discord channel https://discord.gg/mfP2QRQX
you probably will get quicker responses there
what's your native language?

[paul doe]

My Questions:

Compatibility: How similar is FreeBASIC to QBasic? Can I reuse QBasic code/logic directly, or are there major differences?

Learning Logic: Will practicing with QBasic help me build foundational skills for FreeBASIC, or am I learning "obsolete habits"?

Pitfalls: Are there QBasic quirks that don’t apply to FreeBASIC and might trip me up later?

Hi Macro, welcome. As for your questions:

Compatibility: don't bother.
Learning Logic: don't bother.
Pitfalls: yeah, basically that QB is, well, QB.

That being said, don't bother with QB if you are just starting. You won't learn anything useful. FreeBasic has a steep learning curve, yes, but is well worth your effort.

What's your native language?

[Macro]

My Questions:

Compatibility: How similar is FreeBASIC to QBasic? Can I reuse QBasic code/logic directly, or are there major differences?

Learning Logic: Will practicing with QBasic help me build foundational skills for FreeBASIC, or am I learning "obsolete habits"?

Pitfalls: Are there QBasic quirks that don’t apply to FreeBASIC and might trip me up later?

Hi Macro, welcome. As for your questions:

Compatibility: don't bother.
Learning Logic: don't bother.
Pitfalls: yeah, basically that QB is, well, QB.

That being said, don't bother with QB if you are just starting. You won't learn anything useful. FreeBasic has a steep learning curve, yes, but is well worth your effort.

What's your native language?

Spanish

[Macro]

Did you already find the WIKI and this?

https://www.freebasic.net/wiki/LangQB

No, I hadn't found it

[Macro]

Macro, I invite you to join the FB Discord channel https://discord.gg/mfP2QRQX
you probably will get quicker responses there
what's your native language?

Ok, I just joined, and my language is Spanish, I also speak Esperanto, but... I highly doubt I'll find someone who speaks it.

[Berkeley]

Most programming languages are rather similar, like QBasic and FreeBASIC... It's even not SO difficult to "learn" another one, the bad news is: in parts because they are a kind of simplified English. And the difference between QBasic and FreeBASIC may also feel like between BASIC and C to a beginner. I recommend to start with a BASIC where you've got a (good) Spanish guide. Once you've learned thinking like a programmer, you figure out much easier how to hack in another programming language. Translation functions like that of Firefox can aid you with the FreeBASIC documentations, but such might be to inaccurate to learn programming. Further, Spanish is a very common language like French. Therefore it should be easy to find a Spanish programmer's forum, where they can help you.

[Macro]

Most programming languages are rather similar, like QBasic and FreeBASIC... It's even not SO difficult to "learn" another one, the bad news is: in parts because they are a kind of simplified English. And the difference between QBasic and FreeBASIC may also feel like between BASIC and C to a beginner. I recommend to start with a BASIC where you've got a (good) Spanish guide. Once you've learned thinking like a programmer, you figure out much easier how to hack in another programming language. Translation functions like that of Firefox can aid you with the FreeBASIC documentations, but such might be to inaccurate to learn programming. Further, Spanish is a very common language like French. Therefore it should be easy to find a Spanish programmer's forum, where they can help you.

Well, Spanish is popular, but when it comes to specific things, finding documentation in Spanish is complicated. I know this from my experience trying to learn languages. Even languages ​​derived from Spanish, like Chabacano from the Philippines, don't have good documentation in Spanish, or at least I've found it, even though half the vocabulary of that language is Spanish. The same thing happened to me with Esperanto 2 or Ido. But anyway, back to the topic. Are there open-source compilers for Basic? I mean, I wouldn't want to spend money, and I use Linux. I don't know much about Basic.

[RNBW]

This book is a bit out of date, but it contains the basics for a beginner, regrettably it is in English (A Beginner's Guide to Freebasic) https://sourceforge.net/projects/fbeginner/

I think you will find it useful.

You will also find the Wiki very useful. It contains the FB Manual, which has a section on compatibility between FB and QB.

[Macro]

This book is a bit out of date, but it contains the basics for a beginner, regrettably it is in English (A Beginner's Guide to Freebasic) https://sourceforge.net/projects/fbeginner/

I think you will find it useful.

You will also find the Wiki very useful. It contains the FB Manual, which has a section on compatibility between FB and QB.

Well, I guess ChatGPT doesn't translate too badly between these languages. Maybe it'll help. Oh, and I was already reading the wiki. Of course, since it's the first programming language I've taken halfway seriously, well... it's easy, but not that easy. What's most difficult for me is thinking about the logic of a program. But of course, that has nothing to do with the programming language.

[RNBW]

I would suggest looking at as many BASIC programs as you can (they can be either FB or QB for this) and try to work out how the programs work (i.e. the logic of the programs).

At this stage try and keep the programs as simple as possible. Try writing some very simple programs. After a while you'll find that the logic comes to you quite easily, the more you practice. Making mistakes is helpful here, because it helps you to find out what you've done wrong either in the coding or in the logic.

I know it sounds simplistic and I apologise if it sounds overbearing. I am self-taught and it's how I learnt.

[Berkeley]

If you start at 0, you need a good tutorial, something like the "for Dummies" books, but in good. The "manual" for the ZX-81 was gorgeous, but this is *really* a bit too much back in time. (an 8 bit PC with 1 MHz and 1 KiB RAM)... It introduced you in programming so... naturally... With examples out of "real life". - E.g. you've got a shop, candies are priced 20 cent, so you make "LET candies=20", you've got a price hike to 22 cents, then you make "LET candies=22"... => What are variables, how can you put them out, and so on... But you would have to install a ZX-81 emulator for instance, and that's a big difference to work with the original, especially it's not like plugging in the computer and it's working.

This applies to most "good BASICs". Once they were great, e.g. GFA BASIC, just start it and get started... But if you need to emulate the computers for them it gets as complicated as installing any big development environment. Further, "oldschool" editors like that of QBasic are ugly for nowadays standards; nearly no key combination works, it's like using a typewriter...

Small, easy listings may help you of course. But these have to be primitive educational sources, a "real" program ist hardly to understand. It needs much experience to decipher what it does.

Try to get a Spanish-speaking tutor, and let him decide/guide you what you are installing and learning. But I won't recommend QBasic because (if) it uses the DOS environment. Currently, FreeBASIC is the best BASIC I found. With the opportunity to become the perfect BASIC (needs better libraries)...