gerry wrote on 2023-03-27, 15:05::) lyrics written by someone who knew! […]
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Jo22 wrote on 2023-03-27, 11:17:I remember these sites! Though I've never really been a QBasic nerd - I used QB45! 😅
Speaking of QBasic nerds, how could we poss […]
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gerry wrote on 2023-03-27, 09:11:
there were still hobby programming scenes around qbasic and the like back then, although they were fading away (and remember allegro, it still exists). Now there are tiny islands of activity around some language implementations like freebasic and game libraries but mainstay hobby game programming has moved onto unity and so forth, [..]
I remember these sites! Though I've never really been a QBasic nerd - I used QB45! 😅
Speaking of QBasic nerds, how could we possibly ever forget that song?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mal6XbN5cEg
😀 lyrics written by someone who knew!
i remember all the textfile 'tutorials' from back then written by invisible techs with cool sounding names and full of assembly tricks and so forth - qbasic, qb, turbo pascal and more
and if only having qbasic - then call absolute with strings of &HCD,&H33 etc 😀
I'm still using Quick Basic/VB from time to time for writing little prototype programs, but I've started to use them in VMs, too […]
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I'm still using Quick Basic/VB from time to time for writing little prototype programs, but I've started to use them in VMs, too.
Previously, I either used real hardware or DOSBox for this.
That way I can still interface them to real hardware (USB serial adapters, gameport, LPT ports etc) on a modern PC or Macintosh.
The VM software emulates the standard IBM PC hardware on the guest side, then maps it to the corresponding hardware on the host side. 🙂
that's a good idea. i guess there are unmapped things but interesting way to maintain old hardware applications
Yes, it really works. 😃 Well, most of the time. It's fascinating what a little DOS VM and a copy of QB45 or Turbo Pascal/C can still be useful for.
One of my other retro hobbies is to build old schematics in electronics books or PC interface books.
They have schematics for EPROM readers for parallel port, little LCD displays connect via COM ports, interfacing tempetature sensors to gameport etc.
Most of these schematics/projects can be built on a little vero board with little to no extra hardware.
USB serial adapters still work for DOS appli, if Windows 98 or a DOS VM is running.
The only little "problem" is power. USB converters use 3.3v or 5v, not +/-12v.
But that's no problem. Just use use two 9v batteries in series instead of using the serial port's power. Voila! Now you have +9v, ground and -9v.
In fact, even GW-BASIC and QBASIC work for most books. They always have a rudimentary sample program written in BASIC.
If you're on Windows, VB 3 and Turbo Pascal for Windows 1.5 or Delphi 1 are all it needs.
For newer electronics projects VB6 & VB NET 2005 are handy, too.
The 2005 version includes an automatic code converter for VB5/6 code.
VB NET 2008 also has it, but in a more limited form.
That's something I like about DOS eta tinkering. It's never obsolete. There are always occasions were you can apply your knowledge from many moons ago. Nothing is lost. 😁
Edit: I'm often using Virtual PC 2007 on an XP host.
However, other VM software like Qemu or VirtualBox work, too.
Especially on Linux, many pass-through features are available.
But even in many versions of DOSBox, real ports can be accessed in some way or another.
Using network emulation also makes tunneling of certain things possible, in theory.
Edit: I also love real PC hardware, of course. It's just that I'm not using it on a regular basis anymore, because VMs and emulators have gotten so good.
However, that doesn't mean that they replaced my hardware. It's rathet the contrary.
Using the "real thing" had become much more of a ceremony in which I enjoy playing with it consciously.
Like watching a VHS or Laser Disc on a weekend in the living room vs. consuming a film on a laptop in bed.
Btw, I think it helps trying to tidy up the parts collection. If things are properly boxed up in a tidy fashion, it greatly lowers the pressure.
It also causes a feeling of relief knowing that your collection is sorted in a proper way.
Making little notes about the value of each part also helps. So your mind comes to peace knowing that you left a message to the people who might sell your collection when you "moved" to another place.
"Time, it seems, doesn't flow. For some it's fast, for some it's slow.
In what to one race is no time at all, another race can rise and fall..." - The Minstrel
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