QuickBasic Version History

This page attempts to document the changes that occurred in each version of QuickBasic. It is primarily concerned with the development of the language itself rather than with the tooling.

Microsoft QuickBasic 3.0

  • SELECT CASE, CASE
  • CLS
  • CONST
  • CVSMBF
  • CVDMBF
  • DO...LOOP
  • EXIT
  • MKSMBF$
  • MKDMBF$
  • WIDTH

Microsoft QuickBasic 4.0

  • TYPE...END TYPE – Allows for user-defined types, aka “composite data types.”
  • Long (32-bit) integers.
  • Fixed-length strings.
  • AS
  • CALL
  • CLEAR
  • CLNG
  • COLOR
  • CVL
  • DECLARE
  • DEFLNG
  • DIM
  • FILEATTR
  • FREEFILE
  • FUNCTION
  • GET
  • LCASE$
  • LEN
  • LSET
  • LTRIM$
  • MKL$
  • OPEN
  • PALETTE
  • PUT
  • RTRIM$
  • SCREEN
  • SEEK
  • SETMEM
  • STATIC
  • TYPE
  • UCASE$
  • VARPTR
  • VARSEG
  • Support for IEEE format numbers and Math-Coprocessor.
    • The change to IEEE format numbers from Microsoft binary format numbers is significant and could change the results of calcuations performed in earlier versions of QuickBasic (and other Basics).
  • Syntax checking as one enters code.
  • Support for Binary File I/O.
  • Addition of FUNCTION procedures.
  • Recursion for procedures.

Microsoft QuickBasic 4.5

  • ON UEVENT
  • UEVENT
  • SLEEP
  • Improved on-line help.
  • Improvements to IDE.
  • Addition of Instant Watch for Debugging.

Microsoft Professional Development System (PDS) BASIC 7.0/7.1

  • (7.1) REDIM PRESERVE – Allows one to change the size of an array without erasing the data contained in the array.
  • (7.1) Full support for Indexed Sequential Access Method (ISAM) in OS/2.
  • DIR$ – Returns filenames.
  • CURDIR$ – Provides the current working directory.
  • CHDRIVE – Allows one to change drives.
  • BYVAL – Adds support for passing parameters by value in procedures (functions, subroutines).
  • ERDEV$ – Whether a timeout is occurring on a COM port.
  • ERDEV – The type of timeout that is occurring.
  • Currency Data Type
  • Procedure Level Error Handling
  • Support for static arrays in user defined types.
  • Adds Programmer’s Workbench (PWB) for multiple language development (e.g. BASIC and C).
  • Adds the CodeView Debugger for handling large BASIC programs, multiple language programs, and OS/2.
  • Adds support passing arrays with fixed length strings as parameters.
  • Addition of Date/Time, Financial, and Format Add-On libraries.
  • Addition of the Matrix Math, Presentation Graphics, and User Interface Toolboxes.
  • (7.1) Full compatibility with C version 6.0.
  • Support for far strings.
  • Adds overlay support which allows compiling larger programs.

Bibliography

  • Microsoft QuickBASIC: Programming in BASIC. 1987, 1988.