Re: Please help me build an Apple IIGS for my son

[Tristan Mumford <xtristan.xmumford@xgmail.xcom>]

Paul R. Santa-Maria wrote:

> limtc wrote:
>> (I can't find a good programming environment for PC/Mac for
>> Basic/Pascal which allows fast development with graphics and
>> animation without knowing the windowing system and framework).
> 
> Sorry to be a heretic, but I recommend MS-DOS 5 or 6 with
> Turbo Pascal (version 5.5 is a free download) or QBASIC.
> The hardware to do this is dirt cheap since even an old
> 386 would be sufficient.  Sound could be tough if you
> want more than the PC speaker clicks and beeps, but you
> may be able to find some Pascal units that will let you
> control a Sound Blaster.

Ah, MS-DOS. Now we're in my old environment.
If you can get QuickBASIC, not QBASIC, there is a module available called
something like Futurelib or QBFuture. It has some really nice features. I
used to use it in the mid 90s. It adds stacks of support. I even wrote a
textmode windowing system with mouse support using it.

You may think me insane, but I would also recommend the Windows version of
Visual Basic version 1.0.
It's a lot more "classic" BASIC than its newer iterations. When I was
teaching myself programming I used it for making silly games with moving
icons and the like. Oddly enough it shares most of its help files with
QBASIC.

Also note I said the Windows version. The DOS version doesn't have the best
support for graphics. It does have some funky textmode windowing though.

Tristan.

-- 
-----> http://members.dodo.com.au/~izabellion1/tristan/index.html <-----
=====       It's not pretty, it's not great, but it is mine.       =====