PureBasic Forums - English

Cool thread...To borrow a famous line...

"Ours is not to question why,
But to code in PureBasic and fly."

My question for Fred is:

How is it hanging buddy?

*ahem*, we're all programmers here. Mostly, I believe, by hobby. Why do we do what we do? For me, it's mostly to prove to myself that I can and the challenge of problem/puzzle solving. I'm also glad Fred did what he did. I haven't touch a Microsoft language since back in '04 when I got comfortable with PB.

Rant ;Warning, long rant ahead..

I think NetMaestro summed it up best. I don't know where or when or how it started. But this Basic VS C debate has been rageing on for decades. I never understood the "C can do it all" mentality. C is a tool that was origianlly designed to build other tools like other languages (tools) and operating systems. I was never really meant for writing apps although it can and too frequently is used that way. I can't answer for Fred, but perhaps I can help you gain some insight as to the "why" by sharing a few stories with you.

Back in the late 90's I worked for a software company that sold accounting and automation systems to large department store chains and banks. They had an app that was written for a client by 2 very good C programmers. It took them 6 months to complete the project. They needed a serial communications library so it was purchased for them to complete the app. The app worked but never as expected. They were about to lose the client...

Thats where I came into the picture. I was assigned the task of re writing a similar app that had been done in QuickBasic years earlier. The company had been gearing "up" to abandon most of their Basic code in favor of C.. My main function in the company was to maintain their Basic codebase until they could port most of thier apps to C.

Long story short, I finished the project in 5 weeks! Not only that, but I also wrote my own serial lib in 100% QuickBasic. In addition to that.. I also wrote a demo/port sniffer program for company techs to use for bench testing/debugging our hardware in house. And for our reps to demo the hardware out in the field. All that in just 5 weeks. Me working alone, 2 fully working apps + a lib. VS 2 programmers only 1 app + a lib purchased for them and 6 months time. My manager came into my office after we sold it and said "you know, I'm really starting to think that we should be using Basic more, it's a more productive language". No kidding!

Another time one of the Chinese C programmers came to me with a bug in one of the Basic apps. I fixed the bug while we chatted in my office for about 2 minutes. I said ok it's fixed, he said thanks and started to walk out as I hit compile. He didn't get 2 steps out of my office when I said to him "hey where are you going, it's done." He said "you compiled already?" I said "yes it's done" as I handed him the 3.5 inch floppy. The look on his face was priceless! It was a look of utter confusion. He could not believe that it compiled that fast. I just laughed. The C guys were more used to starting a compile and then going to lunch while it ran.

So I hope that gives you a tiny bit of insight as to the why languages like PureBasic exist. By the way I'm not putting down C at all. C is a great language that can do some amazing things. But like Srod said, right tool for the job. I took a course in C many years ago because I wanted to "evolve" as a programmer. After the course I never used C again. Why? Well because there was no point to it. What I could do in Basic with just a few lines of code and in a very short time would take me many hours and lots of lines/bugs in C. Coding in C is like sculpting a statue using only sandpaper. Yes theoretically you can do it, but it might take you 100 years and the result wouldn't be any better and probably worse. So why bother? Just use the right tools and get the job done.

One last thing before I finish my rant. I fully agree with your analysis of the Microsoft conundrum. My office would not allow me to use anything but microsoft languages, we were a Microsoft "partner". For my own projects back then I used PowerBasic. I begged them to let me port code but it was never going to happen. I haven't used a microsoft language since 1999. As for PureBasic, it's a truly GREAT language that has re awakened my love for coding. I've seen and tried alot of languages over the years, and a few of them I actually like. But nothing has done that for me quite the same as this language.

EndRant


Jack

Well said Jack. Indeed, for a Software Company, PureBasic would be really many times
more productive and cost effective to write commercial software compared with C/C++.
Unfortunately, history, status-quo, branding, and main stream is a software mountain
that won't me moved easy. I think it would be a good idea to promote PB more on schools
and uni's were students are starting to learn to code. I am certain that from there some
students will recognize it's potential use and take it into main stream.
cw

I use PB because it spits out tiny little exe's. It's convenient, simple and I don't have to create 12,000 classes and libraries and other B.S. just to have a little program that makes my life easier. PB is simple and easy to use for making desktop apps.

When I look at the tiny size and speed of PureBasic's executables, and then
look at C source codes compared to PureBasic's equivalents, I just can't work
out why anyone would want to do all that extra typing! :roll: