qb40/qb40.github.io

A summary of programs made with QuickBASIC in DOS.

A summary of programs made with QuickBASIC in DOS.

• 🛩️ qb: Microsoft QuickBASIC v4.0 in DOS.
• 🛩️ all: All of the stuff made with QuickBASIC in DOS.

My Projects (except sudoku)

🛸 Games / Demos	⚙️ Utilities	➰ Details
🛸 sudoku	🛸 designs	🛸 chocolate-info
🛸 stone-paper-scissor	🛸 3d-experiment	🛸 ball-animation
🛸 building-animation	🛸 gravity-simulation	🛸 fun-with-mouse
⚙️ text-draw	⚙️ sound-creator	⚙️ picture-creator
⚙️ image-effect	⚙️ keyboard-scancode	⚙️ system-information
⚙️ port-io-helper	⚙️ boot-register-view	⚙️ file-sound
⚙️ file-graph	⚙️ file-encrypt	⚙️ file-bytes
⚙️ file-byte-sum	⚙️ file-pack	❌
➰ opengl-functions-list	➰ windows-file-handling-list	❌

External Projects

⚙️ Utilities	🧷 Libraries	➰ Details
⚙️ deluxe-paint	⚙️ deluxe-paint-animation	⚙️ deluxe-paint-animation-kit
⚙️ pal-edit	⚙️ obj-rip	⚙️ debug32
⚙️ masm	⚙️ tasm	⚙️ alink
⚙️ resource-hacker	⚙️ hex-it	⚙️ bochs
🧷 future-library	🧷 rel-lib	🧷 multilib
🧷 s3-asm	❌	❌
➰ abc-archive	➰ rbil-viewer	➰ exe-format
➰ asm-help	➰ pm-tuts	➰ rel-3d
➰ sound-blaster	➰ sound-blaster-awe32	➰ keyboard-controller

My Story

I first got into computer programming with LOGO in the 4th class. However, I take interest in programming when I learn about the IF command in GWBASIC - the idea that computers are decision making machines! I took to learn BASIC in great detail - and eventually bump into graphics in GWBASIC itself. From Debashish, I pick up QuickBASIC 4.0, a brilliant programming environment by Microsoft. On the HP-Compaq desktop computer my father bought (with 256MB RAM and Windows XP installed), or the IBM Thinkpad laptop my father brought home after completing lab experiments, I pour in a lot of time on learning QuickBASIC and writing text/graphics mode DOS programs. My text mode programs include Playing any file as a sound (frequency steps), designing a 4-bit Huffman coding based file packer, performing Particle gravity simulation with velocity colored traces, a simple Single tone sound creator, Reading the bytes of a file one-by-one, viewing the byte values of a file as a line graph, finding the Byte sum of a file to verify its integrity, writing a tool for Encrypting and decrypting a file, a tool for helping Find and verify IO ports, another tool to determine the Keyboard scancode of a key, one for Making a text-mode user interface or art, a tool for finding basic System information, a tiny ASCII-art based chocolate info program, and the classic Stone paper scissor game vs the CPU.

QuickBASIC’s SCREEN 13 VGA graphics mode is an 8-bit pixel (256 colors using palette) mode with 320x200 screen resolution. One can draw a pixel here by simply writing values to the 0xA000 memory address (text mode is also similar, but speed is not an issue there). In this mode, I experiment with 3d formulae, use Left or right mouse button to draw, design a small and simple Animation showing rising building like structures, a basic Bouncing ball animation, demonstrate 50 different graphics animations, develop a 640x400 Picture creator tool, and another to Add an animated effect to an image. I first learn assembly language with DEBUG32, a command-line assembler and disassembler, and then move to MASM and FASM - I use these to write fast routines to draw to screen or perform mouse handling with Interrupt Service Routines (ISRs), with reference from Ralf Brown’s Interrupt list. I also write a Bootloader that shows the values of CPU registers - which I tested using Bochs, a portable open source IA-32 (x86) PC emulator. Do these remind you of the Windows XP days? You can download its theme if you like.