Where can I learn Basic Programming?

[Sal_gal]

Okay, don't get on me about this -- my college where I work has a course in Basic Programming and I want to prepare myself to teach a course. Had Basic years ago but forgot it.
Where can I take a "quick" course in Basic and is there certification after I take the course? Thanks all.

[JPnyc]

What language will you be teaching the course in? Visual Basic?

[Sal_gal]

The course is CIS 103 - Basic Programming

[JPnyc]

Ok, but they don't specify a language that you're going to be teaching them? I assume they mean basic as in "beginning" not Basic as in the programming language Basic, now owned by MS and called Visual Basic. Will you be teaching them via pseudo-code?

[Sal_gal]

According to the director - it can be either Qbasic or visual basic. They title it "basic programming" bec. it's up to the discretion of the director.

I want to know - where can I learn Qbasic via disk, CD, some type of media? And is there a test given for certification or otherwise? I know Qbasic is "old" programming but a few colleges still have it because it uses the simple, beginning methods.

[SpywareDr]

QBASIC with an Introduction to Visual BASIC 5.0 (4th Edition)
by David I. Schneider
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0139738762/sr=8-3/qid=1152899235/ref=pd_bbs_3/103-1262226-0746227?ie=UTF8

?

[JPnyc]

You might also consider joining http://www.vbforums.com/index.php?
There's lots of tutorials and lots of knowledable members there. I posted there when I was in I.T. school, in the visual basic section of the course. It helped get me through.

[SuperSparks]

QBasic is very old, and probably won't be much help in the real world other than for a general understanding of programming logic. However you can get hold of it for nothing - download the MS-DOS 6.22 disk from here and it has QBasic on it:

Bootdisks (http://www.bootdisk.com/bootdisk.htm)

VBisual Basic .NET on the other hand is a fully up to date object-oriented language, and you can failrl easily translate the programming syntax learned into other OO languages. Visual Basic 2005 Express edition is alsdo a free download:

http://msdn.microsoft.com/vstudio/express/vb/

http://msdn.microsoft.com/vstudio/express/vb/download/

[JPnyc]

I don't think you want to use .NET for beginners. Just stick with VB6. .Net is a full blown OOL, not the thing to introduce newbs with.

[SuperSparks]

I absolutely disagree. Why would anyone want to learn the now obsolete and unsupported Classic VB only to have to relearn VB .NET later. It is just as easy to learn the .NET languages and OO straight off, in fact it is far easier to do most things in .NET. I learned on Classic VB, and moving over to .NET wasn't particularly easy.

[JPnyc]

Because programming can be difficult for many people to get their lobes around. There's no better introductory language than VB6. So simple and so sensible. The concept of an OOL is difficult, to say the least.

[JPnyc]

Ya know, i just realized they probably can't use either VB or .NET. You need Visual Studio to code those, and that's a hefty outlay of cash for a whole classroom. Maybe VBscript or javascript.

[SuperSparks]

It depends what you mean by simple - doing anything remotely complex in VB6 could require jumping through all kinds of hoops, and as soon as you need to use the Win32 API then simplicity goes right out of the window. And unless you intend to stick with an obsolete language, it isn't much use for moving onwards and up[wards in my opinion. You can, on the other hand, morph VB .NET skills into C# very easily indeed, and from there to C++ (managed C++ at least).

Besides which, you have to find VB6 and pay for it, it was never free. The only place you can still get it is with an MSDN subscription.

[JPnyc]

But beginners won't be doing anything remotely complex. I have the impression these are complete newbs. I got my 1st intro to programming with pseudo-code, then VB

[SuperSparks]

So your solution is that they should try and hunt down a pay-for copy of VB6 or buy an expensive MSDN subscription in order to write some "Hello world" type programs? I'd rather save the money myself. VB6 is dead (it was originally introduced 8 years ago after all), and I don't even agree that it is easier to learn than .NET anyway, particularly for simple programs.

[JPnyc]

No, I said in the post before last that it's probably out of their price range. What can you code easily without buying anything? javascript?

[Sal_gal]

But beginners won't be doing anything remotely complex. I have the impression these are complete newbs. I got my 1st intro to programming with pseudo-code, then VB
These courses are at the community coll. level, not university level and they are specifically for newbies. That's why some of the colleges have Qbasic and some VB. I just want to learn Qbasic so that I can teach it.

[JPnyc]

Sorry, I don't know it myself. Not really used anymore, so I wouldn't know where to find a reference for it.

[SuperSparks]

Why any college would want to teach, or any student would want to learn, such an out of date and limited language is beyond me, but here are some good online tutorials:

http://www.programmingtutorials.com/qbasic.aspx


What can you code easily without buying anything? javascript?

All the .NET Express editions (VB, C#, J#, C++ and Web Developer) are free, and very powerful - there isn't that much more in the full Visual Studio package. I'm fairly sure that there is a free version of Delphi available too.

[Nix]

Back in 85 I learnt COBOL and was told it was obsolete but was still widely used everywhere.

21 years later and the company I work at still uses it heavily.

I still dabble in basic on my Commodore 64 emulator, I think it's good for learning simple program structure and the like.

Probably more so for kids though.

[JPnyc]

You really only find it in mainframe programming in this country at least

[Nix]

Yes mainframe heavily in use still.

Worked out well for the Y2K kerfuffle too - I was given a 19% pay increase to hand around rather than be temepted to go elsewhere to fix other peoples mainframe code.

[SuperSparks]

In the PC world though, QBasic is obsolete and isn'twidely used. Somehow I don't see the market for DOS programming reviving anytime soon either.