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1. Obtaining, Toolboxes, Prices and Infos about PowerBASIC
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1.1. The Current Versions of PowerBASIC
1.2. The Original Distributors of PowerBASIC
1.3. German Speaking Area
1.4. German PowerBASIC Prices
1.5. The Basic Network - BasNet
1.6. New in Version 3.1 of PowerBASIC
1.7. New in Version 3.2 of PowerBASIC
1.8. PowerBASIC - The next Generation
1.1. The Current Versions of PowerBASIC
---------------------------------------
The current Version of PowerBASIC in Germany (in October 1995) is
Version 3.20. This Version has been available in the US and other
countries since September 1995.
1.2. The Original Distributors of PowerBASIC
--------------------------------------------
PowerBASIC was and is developed in the United States and there are
multiple possibilites to get contact to these people. Here are the
currently known addresses from PowerBASIC Inc.:
Address:
PowerBASIC, Inc.
316 Mid Valley Center
Carmel, Ca 93923
Sales Divison:
Ordering : (800) 780-7707
Service : (408) 659-8000
Fax : (408) 659-8008
Technical Support:
Voice : (408) 659-8000
Fax : (408) 659-8008
BBS : (408) 659-7401 (8-N-1, 2400-28.8k)
CompuServe:
GO POWERBASIC, Sektion 12
Sale and Marketing : 73621,2613
Technical Support : 74431,3520
Research and Development : 75300,1742
InterNet:
World Wide Web : www.powerbasic.com
List of InterNet Sites : info@powerbasic.com
Ordering : order@powerbasic.com
Productlists : products@powerbasic.com
Products for PowerBASIC : third@powerbasic.com
Sale and Marketing : sales@powerbasic.com
Technical Support : support@powerbasic.com
Research and Development : r&d@powerbasic.com
100 Reasons why PowerBASIC
is better than QuickBASIC : 100ways@powerbasic.com
Suggestions for future
PowerBASIC Versions : suggest@powerbasic.com
FTP- & WWW-Sites:
http://www.snafu.de/~pbsound/
http://145.89.78.151/~excel/pb.html
http://www.webgeek.com/dave/
http://www.uni-jena.de/~p6sepa/rshp.html
http://jerusalem.windows-nt.uni-karlsruhe.de/members/schneider/
hivga.html
ttp://www.leo.org/pub/comp/platforms/pc/msdos/programming/pbasic/
http://www.fys.ruu.nl/~bergmann/basic.html
http://www.zephyrsoftware.com
http://www.blarg.net/~future/shareware.html
http://www.cdrom.com/simtel.net/msdos/basic.html
http://www.cyberbox.north.de/FILES/DOS/dos106.html
ftp.global2000.net/pub/pbasic
1.3. German Speaking Area
-------------------------
In Germany PowerBASIC is distributed by "Kirschbaum Software GmbH".
The current address is:
Kirschbaum Software GmbH
Kronau 15
83550 Emmering
GERMANY
Phone: +49-8067-9038-0
Fax : +49-8067-903898
The current Version of PowerBASIC is Version 3.20. Following Toolboxes
are available from Kirschbaum:
PB/DLL - PowerBASIC DLL-Compiler for Windows
PowerGRAPH - for graphical Menusystems (PCX, Fonts, etc.)
PowerISAM - Databases (also available in English from PowerBASIC
Inc.)
PowerTOOLS - SAA-Shell, Helpsystem, helpfull Routines
PB/xtra - Collection of Sharewareprogramms and Sourcecode
Kirschbaum does not have a Mailbox or any official EMailaddresses!
There are some EMailaddresses and Support-Areas or unofficial
Newsgroups etc. from the Toolbox Developers. In this case please see
the Manual of the Toolbox.
1.4. German PowerBASIC Prices
-----------------------------
All prices noted here are NOT validated. Changes can occur at any time!
A currently valid pricing Information can be optained from Kirschbaum
by FAX.
Complete Version: 199,-DM
Complete Version 3.2 for Students, Pupils: 150,-DM
Update from VOBIS-Basisversion 2.10f to V3.2: 149,-DM
Update from V2.10 to V3.2: 149,-DM
Update from a 3.x-Version to V3.2: 36,80DM
PB/DLL: 249,-DM
1.5. The Basic Network - BasNet
-------------------------------
For people with a Modem BasNet provides exchange of experience with
other PowerBASIC people. Here you can clear your "Programming"
problems with other PB-Programmers and can obtain any other needed
Information, Sources or also Toolboxes. For further Information about
the "Basic Network" please contact one of the following addresses:
- Mail, Online-Access (over Mailbox), Fido- & BasNet:
Performance Multimedia
Roemerstr. 46
63128 Dietzenbach
GERMANY
Fax: 06074-29749
Mailbox: +49-6074-41307 (24h, ANSI, 2400-19200bps, 8N1)
+49-6074-812355 (24h, ANSI, 2400-14400bps, 8N1)
+49-6074-812356 (24h, ANSI, ISDN)
E-Mail-Address: Christian Wendler@2:244/1490
1.6. New in Version 3.1 of PowerBASIC
-------------------------------------
- Userdefined Type- and Union-Variables can be compared directly.
- Constants in Binary, Hex or Octal Format (&B, &H, &O) can be set
to a specific Datatype, by simply adding the correct Identifier.
Examples:
A?? = &HFFFF?? '= 65535
B% = &HFFFF% '= -1
- Constants (%Test) can have a 64-Bit Range (signed) from this
PowerBASIC Version on.
Examples:
%MaxNumber = 500000
%Konst1 = &HFFFF '= -1 (Integer)
%Konst2 = &H0FFFF '= 65535 (Long)
When using Binary, Hexdecimal or Octal Numbers, adding a proceeding
Zero defines whether the calculated Value is signed or not.
- BIN$, HEX$ and OCT$ can now calculate Values up to 32Bit Long-
Integer.
- From Version 3.1 on you can give alternative Names to SUBs or
FUNCTIONs, with which you can call these Subroutines from within
OBJ-Routines (compiled with Assembler or C).
Example:
SUB MySub ALIAS "_my_sub" (Var1%,Var2$) PUBLIC
PRINT "Hello", Var1%, Var2$
END SUB
- The keyword ANY in a definiton of a Procedure allows the passing of
a parameter of any type. The parameter is then passed by REFERENCE
as a 32Bit Address. To let the Programm know what kind of type it
is you should pass a Type identification as the first parameter to the
Procedure. When this Procedure is coded in PowerBASIC, the Inline-
Assembler must be used to pass on the parameters.
Example:
i% = 11
CALL TestAny(0,i%) 'the free parameters must be Variables
s$ = "Hello"
CALL TestAny(1,s$)
SUB TestAny(ParamType AS INTEGER, ANY)
DIM Int.Param AS INTEGER
DIM String.Param AS STRING
SELECT CASE ParamType
CASE 0 'Integer
! les bx, [bp+6] :Load Offset of Var. in BX
! mov ax, es:[bx] ;Load Value of Var. in AX
! mov Int.Param, ax ;Load Varibale to AX
PRINT Int.Param
CASE 1 'String
;Load Offset of Stringmarker
! les bx, [bp+6] ;into BX
! mov ax, es:[bx] ;Load Stringmarker into AX
! mov String.Param,AX
PRINT String.Param
END SELECT
END SUB
- The Return value of FUNCTIONs written with the Inline-Assembler can
now be set without using a temporary Variable. The Keyword FUNCTION
is used for this.
Example:
PRINT AsmTest(2)
FUNCTION AsmTest(BYVAL int.param AS INTEGER) AS INTEGER
! mov ax, int.param
! inc ax
! mov FUNCTION, ax ;the Value will be returned
END FUNCTION
(Also see chapter 'Hints with the Inline-Assembler')
- The use of FUNCTION instead of the Functionname is also possible
with FUNCTIONs coded in BASIC.
Example:
PRINT FuTest(2)
FUNCTION FuTest(BYVAL int.param AS INTEGER) AS INTEGER
FUNCTION = int.param + 1
END FUNCTION
- The Function FRE() was extended:
FRE(-3) returns the free Space on the Stack
FRE(-4) returns the maximum Length available for dynamic Strings, set
using $STRING
FRE(-5) returns the Number of used Stringsegments
FRE(-6) returns the Number of unused Blocks in the current
Stringsegment
FRE(-7) returns the amount of unused Memory in the current
Stringsegment
1.7. New in Version 3.2 of PowerBASIC
-------------------------------------
- Data Pointers
- Code Pointers
Following Jumps can now be executed directly in BASIC:
"CALL DWORD x", "GOTO DWORD x" ans "GOSUB DWORD x". In this case "x"
is the 32Bit Pointer to a SUB/Function or the Label. (There is a
DIR$- Demo to the new Pointer- Functions.)
- 32-Bit implementation of:
STRPTR32, VARPTR32 und CODEPTR32
- Pointer to Structures can now be passed on to a SUB/FUNCTION using
the "BYVAL" Keyword.
Example:
DECLARE SUB MySUB(x AS INTEGER)
DIM z AS INTEGER PTR
z = &HB8000000
CALL MySUB(BYVAL z)
- 16550 UART Support
- The LEN() Function now also returns the length of User-defined
Structures.
- Labels ans Variables can now contain the so-calles Underlines '_' so
that they can be kept appart easier.
1.8. PowerBASIC - The next Generation
-------------------------------------
Usualy one shouldn't mention this topic in a FAQ. But because heavy
discussions and many rumors often come from this direction, here is
the current state:
Due to many serious sources (PowerBASIC Inc to name one)
PowerBASIC Inc. is currently working on the following versions of
their PowerBASIC software:
- A Windows96/WindowsNT , namely 32Bit, version of the PB/DLL compiler
will be up next. First a command line version will be available,
there are no statements about an IDE.
- A future PB OS/2 version can be taken into account, but it is far
behind the DOS/WIN versions in the plans of the future.
- The next DOS version should have a 32Bit InLine-Assembler, allow
Arrays within TYPE structures, have a reworked IDE and should allow
the handling of more than 65535 strings, because a wide part of the
handling will be enhanced from 16Bit to 32Bit.
As said, this is a current gaze into the glass sphere of PowerBASIC. It
would be very nice if Dave Navarro could take care of this topic in the
future, after all, he IS sitting at the source ;^).
--- CrossPoint v3.11 R
2:2410/330.1)
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* Origin: PBSOUND, PBFILES (27MB), PBFAQ, PBRULES, PBHIVGA at:
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