PureBasic Forum

I don't normally like to "advertise" another Basic app here, but this one is
no longer in development (since November 1998) and is no threat at all to
PureBasic. It's called MoonRock, and it lets you create real DOS apps that
you can run from a boot floppy. It's extremely small, but has an adequate
command set for doing all sorts of things. Like PureBasic, it compiles to a
standalone file (*.com) and requires no runtimes. The home page is here:

http://www.rowan.sensation.net.au/moonrock.html

(Fred, hope this is okay!).

I would say no threat:

Quote from website: "The current version of the compiler is written with MicroSoft's QuickBASIC and Visual BASIC for DOS"

I wonder if it could make a DOS based web browser ?

> I wonder if it could make a DOS based web browser ?

I actually don't recall seeing any network examples in its docs, so I don't
know for sure. Maybe I just overlooked it though, because I don't have
any network interests. Do you want to code your own DOS browser, or
just need one in general?

no need, just thought it would be interesting. I remember connecting to the old BBS's with the 2400 baud modems, it was just text back then ...

> I remember connecting to the old BBS's with the 2400 baud modems

Hehehe, yeah -- I had a modem the size of a shoebox and used to connect
to 300 baud places. I didn't know how to download anything, so usually
I just tried to save Basic apps as incoming text and then run them.

I know a few crazy people that get online with their TI99 home computer. Talk about legacy hardware!

Those little things are cool though!

Rowan Crowe got bored of it (So he told me). I spoke to him many times when we hung out in the newbies channel in the OzOrg servers (defunct now) begging him to release it and add to it and he kept promising to devlop it but real life caught up with him.

He was very quiet and reclusive and I think this was just a small hobby project and not a very serious thing to him.

I wrote: I actually don't recall seeing any network examples in its docs

I just had a proper check in the docs and yes, there are serial networking
commands in MoonRock (send string, receive, etc). So I guess it's very
possible to make a DOS browser with it...

> Rowan Crowe got bored of it (So he told me). I spoke to him many
> times when we hung out in the newbies channel in the OzOrg servers
> (defunct now) begging him to release it and add to it

LOL -- you sound like me! I contacted Rowan a few times also because
I was seriously going to use MoonRock to code my utils (to run in a DOS
box under Windows) before I found another language called "PureBasic".

Here is a DOS based web browser:

http://arachne.browser.org

and there are a few others listed here:

http://www.fdisk.com/doslynx/

still using gfabasic if it comes to dos...

(one wouldn't think so )

If you're really keen on developing DOS apps, have a look at PBDos (That's PB as in PowerBasic, not PureBasic ). If I'm not mistaken, it's only $39Us now and is quite powerful.

Sorry for the OT, but PBDos is no competition for, um, PB.

Russell

According to their website it's US$99 not $39, even the upgrade price is more at US$49.

http://www.powerbasic.com/products/pbdos/

Oops, my error. The upgrade price was $39 until recently, and that's what I was thinking of. Whether or not it's worth $99 is up to you...

Russell

I tried to take a look a powerbasic same time I was evaluating PB and a zillion other things.

No demo (althougth 30 day money back if you buy via download, I think).

Becomes a fairly hefty $ outlay if you want console, dos and windows apps, the manual, etc. To get VB (via auction pvt sale) is cheaper than Power, and VB.net was cheaper via MS. (In fact, VB.net was cheaper than PureBasic - pity about the .net part)