PowerBasic on NMCI

[Scott Turchin]

OK So if you work for the Navy I just got your attention I hope.

I've been transitioned over to the NMCI and away from our legacy computers and in order to run software on this computer I have to get it off the DADMS list.

I search for Powerbasic and only find console compiler 4.0, and I'd like to see P owerBasic for WIndows 8 added on.

The Navy is trying to downsize the list and do a one size fits all and only Visual Basic would "Do the same job", so not only do I have to justify by saying VB WON'T do the job I need other users of PowerBasic to request it for their NCMI seats as well.

This is a PRIME time for PowerBasic to get an "In" for the Navy, I write all of my apps for our administration of 110 database servers in PowerBasic and I do NOT want to go to Visual Studio or Dot-Net for this, it would be like getting a semi-truck to drive my 8 mile commute in ya know....overkill......

In addition, anyone that can think of a "Justifiable" reason why I should be able to use PB over VB add a reply below!!!

It has to be a real legitimate reason, not that PB is faster than VB, they want things like "I am extensively trained in PB and the larning curve will take over a year for Dot-Net"....

Thanks,

(Sorry for not being around, I've gotten into martial arts)

Scott

[Michael Mattias]

[email protected]


Gentlemen;

Here is an opportunity for you. Can you help me out please?

Regards,

[Fred Harris]

Could someone translate the above post to English?

NMCI?

DADMS?

[Edwin Knoppert]

Don't forget me..

[John Harvill]

1. PowerBasic Win/32 more efficient for supporting legacy code written in PowerBasic.

2. PowerBasic Win/32 is relatively economical. Costs less than Visual Studio per seat (may require research into the cost per seat for Visual Studio at your facility).

3. PowerBasic is a viable alternate source for Windows Basic Compilers.

Sincerely,
John Harvill

[Cliff Nichols]

Reasons to use PB (some copied from others)

1. Legacy ---> In (most cases) I can support all Windows OS'es back to 95 (and would not surprise me in the least if I could 3.1)
   
2. Price ---> Compare to Visual studio (or even just VB by itself) and there is as much a comparison as "Apples to Oranges" (and I won't even get into what you can't do in VB that you can do in PB)...If memory serves M$ in VB6 days was over $1000, while more power and tools in PB was a mere 1/10th the price
   
3. Support ---> PRICELESS....Support forums just chock full of support, and I dare any product out there today that the founder (aka: Bob Zale himself) can be found in the forums offering help and advice?!?!?!!!
   
4. Power ---> All the power that Windows API can offer babyyyyyy
   
5. Ease of use ---> DDT style (PB commands) makes transition from VB (for us VB refugees) a breeze, as well as others from DOS days, or console compilers or most any "basic" compiler. And if needing to learn SDK (Windows API) for what is not covered (if there is any) then the documentation files are MUCH more simple, than trying to port M$ C++ code documentation to a basic language
   
6. Assembly ---> For you Assembly language guru's guess what? PB has you covered there too
   
7. Graphical User Interfaces (GUI) ---> What the common "Non-Programmer" type has come to see as "Where's my button to click?".....no worries....PB has you covered
   
8. Actual understanding of your code, and how it works rather than "copy-paste" code that "Sometimes" works ===> PRICELESS

Need I go on? or is that enough?

Oh and like Fred said

Could someone translate the above post to English?

NMCI?

DADMS?

it would be best to get "Squared-Away" and remember to translate for those of us that do not understand acronyms.

(Even this ole Army grunt's memory is fading, but if memory serves NMCI was something like Naval Marine Computer Interface ... or something like that)

[Brice Manuel]

Could someone translate the above post to English?

NMCI?

DADMS?

For the civvies:

NMCI = Navy Marine Corps Intranet
DADMS = Defense Automated Document Management System

[Fred Harris]

For anyone who had their lives invested in VB1 - VB6 through the nineties, Microsoft obsoleted/depricated all that in a blink of the eye with .NET. Soon I expect they'll be rolling out their next major class framework to end all class frameworks, the ultimate programmer's nirvana, whatever it might be this time, and then you can say bye, bye to all your .NET code, as well as the gigabytes of documentation you've been struggling with all these years. It'll be replaced with something even bigger and slower, with even more dependencies and probably terabytes of documentation to sift through. Maybe we'll have PB 9 or 10 by that time, but whatever it is I expect your PB 4 or 8 code written now will work with it.

[Scott Turchin]

For the civvies:

NMCI = Navy Marine Corps Intranet
DADMS = Defense Automated Document Management System

Exactly.

DADMS is a list of COTS software.

COTS is Commercial Off The SHelf.

Everyone I know that asks abouit powerbasic at work is impressed with the apps th ey've seen me write - and the fact that my 10 thread file copying routine is only 85k in size vs a VB version over a meg.......and faster than VB.

I just need to convince the navy
If not I'll use my legacy on a stand alone system not plugged into any networks.......


BTW even though the license said 1 computer at a time the Navy will be purchasing me a license for PB at work, and PB Console 4.0 (I sure coulda used that one today!!).....

At first it was rough proving myself, now people come to me and ask for a program - that's the sweet part......

[Michael Mattias]

can support all Windows OS'es back to 95 (and would not surprise me in the least if I could 3.1)

I don't think the 16-bit compiler (PB/DLL versions 1 and 2) is available anymore, but you might ask the PB sales department if it is.

FWIW, PB/DLL version 2 will run on Win/3 OK, but at least when I installed it, the 'setup' program required a 32-bit OS. Fortunately the 'install' is just copying a bunch of files to a single directory. So have a 32-bit machine plus common media or a network connection available when you install.

[Michael Mattias]

Everyone I know that asks abouit powerbasic at work is impressed with the apps th ey've seen me write

Are they impressed with the compiler? Or the application?

It's not the paintbrush, it's the artist.


MCM
PS: Maybe they just want you to to re-up.

[Scott Turchin]

Are they impressed with the compiler? Or the application?

It's not the paintbrush, it's the artist.


MCM
PS: Maybe they just want you to to re-up.

I'm a civilian contractor - they want ease of paperwork so it doesn't matter whether PB can or will do the job better, is it easier on them and justifyable?

That's what they want to know!!

It'll save half a mil in training costs - that's the excuse that they will understand......the b enefit has to outweigh the work factor of adding it to the list