FreeBASIC is a free/open source BASIC compiler for Windows DOS and Linux
48 comments
·May 17, 2025orionblastar
vunderba
It really isn't - from the docs themselves:
FreeBASIC gives you the FreeBASIC compiler program (fbc or fbc.exe),
plus the tools and libraries used by it. fbc is a command line program
that takes FreeBASIC source code files (*.bas) and compiles them into
executables. In the combined standalone packages for windows, the main
executable is named fbc32.exe (for 32-bit) and fbc64.exe (for 64-bit)
pjmlp
A magic also available in Turbo BASIC.
Ironically Borland gave up competing against Microsoft on BASIC tooling, while Microsoft gave up competing against Borland on Pascal tooling (Quick Pascal).
Both products where short lived, Microsoft killed Quick Pascal quite quickly, while Borland sold Turbo BASIC, which became Power BASIC.
orionblastar
PowerBASIC is dead; the website no longer works. The old PowerBASIC for DOS abandonware can be found here: https://winworldpc.com/product/powerbasic/3x
It is a DOS 16-bit program.
westurner
> The magic of QuickBasic was that it was an editor, interpreter, and help system all rolled up into a single EXE file. Punch F5 and watch your BAS file execute line-by-line.
That's still how vscode works; F5 to debug and Ctrl-[Shift]-P like CtrlP.vim: https://code.visualstudio.com/docs/debugtest/debugging
FWICS,
The sorucoder.freebasic vscode extension has syntax highlighting: https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=sorucode...
There's also an QB64Official/vscode extension that has syntax highlighting and keyboard shortcuts: https://github.com/QB64Official/vscode
re: how qb64 and C-edit are like EDIT.COM, and GORILLA.BAS: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41410427
vunderba
I tried QB64 a couple years ago, but IIRC it's still compiled as opposed to interpretative, e.g. you can't Ctrl-Break and drop into the current executing line of BASIC code unless they've radically changed how it works.
90s_dev
Rather, QB was the pico8 of the 1990s. Convenient, self-contained, mysterious, quasi-powerful, in-app help menu for the entire language and API, and a few built-in demo games.
westurner
'Edit' - a CLI/TUI text editor similar to EDIT.COM but written in rust - is now open source https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=44031529
bencollver
Wasn't QBasic the interpreter as opposed to QuickBasic the compiler?
vunderba
It's been a long time, but my impression was that QuickBASIC had an interpreter and the ability to compile. Then later on, Microsoft bundled a more limited version called QBasic with later versions of MS DOS which lacked the compiler.
But all of them (QBasic, QuickBASIC, Microsoft PDS, and even Visual Basic for DOS which almost nobody remembers sadly) had the editor, interpretative execution, and built-in help.
null
the_af
No, QuickBasic was both an interpreter and a compiler. QBasic was just an interpreter.
DCKP
All this brings back fond memories of my first programming foray, an ASCII game in QBASIC from Mars and Back: Computer Programming Handbook by Andrew J. Read. So much fun, so much frustration.
analog31
This is what I recall too. QuickBasic was perhaps BASIC's answer to Turbo Pascal, a relatively lightweight but usable text based IDE. I knew some happy users.
null
anthk
Kinda like any Forth. Even PForth has a bundled block editor and a rudimentary help system.
lproven
No, FBC is not like QuickBASIC: there's no IDE in FBC.
However, the QB64PE project does have an IDE. Some screenshots in this thread:
https://qb64phoenix.com/forum/showthread.php?tid=2469&pid=23...
WalterGR
> FreeBASIC is like Microsoft's QuickBASIC.
Except that it doesn't emulate Microsoft's QuickBASIC, or ... ?
banana_giraffe
It does support "-lang qb" which is designed to specifically limit FreeBASIC to a QuickBASIC compatible dialect.
TonyTrapp
And more specifically, "-lang qb" is more or less how FreeBASIC started out. The more modern dialects came later, and became the default, hence the addition of "-lang qb".
Firehawke
Microsoft really should go back and look into open sourcing more of their really old tools. Get versions of MASM, QuickBasic, VisualBasic (the DOS version, of course), and so forth out there.
There's a lot to learn from these old tools and it'd be nice to have this stuff opened up for tinkerers on ancient platforms. It's not like MS is going to make any money off any of this anymore, nor is it viable for use on a modern platform even with substantial effort.
JdeBP
Of course, things like NASM have existed for a long time precisely because MASM and TASM were not open source.
anta40
I have some CDs from a computer magazine (in the 2000s) which provided you code archives even back to 90s (including good old QB stuffs).
FBC easily compile lots of them. Well, too bad still no macOS support.
zozbot234
Did you check whether these are available on Internet Archive already?
anta40
The magazine I meant is Mikrodata. It's an Indonesian IT magazine, which was was closed few years ago. Until 2000-ish, the magazines came with CDs which has code archives from practically all Mikrodata contributors.
I started learning programming in 2002 with VB, so it felt kinda amusing looking at 90s DOS stuffs (Turbo Pascal 7, QB, TASM) etc
zozbot234
Looks like the Internet Archive has no content from this magazine as of yet! It may be that they have it archived privately and it's just hidden from public view, but you may want to write to Jason Scott https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jason_Scott (who works on the Software section at the Internet Archive) about getting this stuff backed up and archived properly for the foreseeable future. As an official archive and library, the Internet Archive is one entity that can keep copies of rare and fragile content safely backed up (and CD coverdiscs from old Indonesian magazines definitely qualify) without being restricted by copyright laws as most other people and organizations might be.
gus_massa
Old discussion: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38730966 (105 points | Dec 2023 | 70 comments)
larodi
I really wonder why MS would not supper the whole BASIC legacy that anyway exists even without them.
ironicgnome
But can it run Nibbles or Gorillas?
andrea76
Is there an ide with form designer like visual basic?
lproven
Not with FreeBASIC.
Others that do: Gambas, Xojo, RAD BASIC, Twin BASIC.
TonyTrapp
I think FBEdit was the closest to that, but like with most other languages, it never reached the same level of integration and quality because forms are simply not first-class citizens in FreeBASIC, unlike VB where the whole development process evoled around forms. You always need native GUI code or use a GUI library like GTK to achieve the same in FreeBASIC.
Libcat99
Not free, but this was one of my favorite things when learning to program. https://everybasic.info/lib/exe/fetch.php/basics/vbdos-3.png Visual Basic for DOS.
gitroom
[dead]
This one emulates GW-BASIC as PC-BASIC so old BASIC programs for the IBM PC DOS systems can run on modern systems: https://robhagemans.github.io/pcbasic/
FreeBASIC is like Microsoft's QuickBASIC.
More BASIC Languages: https://www.thefreecountry.com/compilers/basic.shtml