Welcome to the SmallBASIC board

[Cybermonkey]

Finally, we have a new place for the discussions about SmallBASIC. Chris is also "on board" (literally) and will have a look on the topics.
@Chris: If you will use them or not, I thought you should have moderator privileges, so don't mind that you have those permissions.

For those of you who don't know SmallBASIC:

SmallBASIC is a fast and easy to learn BASIC language interpreter ideal for everyday calculations, scripts and prototypes. SmallBASIC includes trigonometric, matrices and algebra functions, a built in IDE, a powerful string library, system, sound, and graphic commands along with structured programming syntax.

Find more (and the downloads) on the homepage: http://smallbasic.github.io/

[johnno56]

YES!!! SB has a pulse once again!! Brilliant!

J

[chrisws]

Hi,

Thanks Cybermonkey for creating this forum and making a home for SmallBASIC.

I'm still keen to continue working on SmallBASIC, but having good a feedback channel helps to maintain motivation.

It's always really cool to see the amazing programs people have made with it.

Cheers,
Chris

[B+]

Hi Chris,

If you have some time, you might review this section "SmallBASIC notes":
http://retrogamecoding.org/board/index.php?topic=382.0

for accuracy, or see if I am misrepresenting or misleading...

or for updating or just see if it might generate some comments of your own.

Dang it's been awhile since I looked at them.

[ScriptBasic]

SB

We really need to work something out with this reference. Script BASIC has been around since 2000. (18 years) How long has SmallBASIC been around?

How about you using SmB as your shortened reference?

[ZXDunny]

I dunno, whenever anyone uses the term SB I automatically assume that they're talking about SmallBASIC tbh, as it's far more likely they'll be talking about that than ScriptBASIC - maybe we should start referring to Script BASIC as "ScB" from now on?

[B+]

To avoid a capital case involving John, I could live with sb, small s, small b for SmallBASIC. 

It's easier to type.

[ScriptBasic]

To avoid a capital case involving John, I could live with sb, small s, small b for SmallBASIC. 

It's easier to type.

Great idea!

SB as an abbreviation for Script BASIC is used extensively on the Oxygen Basic, AllBASIC and Script BASIC forums. Small BASIC hasn't made much of an impact outside of this forum. If it wasn't for B+, I still wouldn't have known about it. I will have to give it a try when I can find some spare time. I have maintained the Script BASIC open source project since 2005. It has had a dedicated website, forum and wiki since that time.

I'm surprised Microsoft hasn't come after Chris as SmallBASIC is a registered trademark for Microsoft's BASIC interpreter.

[B+]

To avoid a capital case involving John, I could live with sb, small s, small b for SmallBASIC. 

It's easier to type.

Great idea!

SB as an abbreviation for Script BASIC is used extensively on the Oxygen Basic, AllBASIC and Script BASIC forums. Small BASIC hasn't made much of an impact outside of this forum. If it wasn't for B+, I still wouldn't have known about it. I will have to give it a try when I can find some spare time. I have maintained the Script BASIC open source project since 2005. It has had a dedicated website, forum and wiki since that time.

I'm surprised Microsoft hasn't come after Chris as SmallBASIC is a registered trademark for Microsoft's BASIC interpreter.

That's because Chris version was before MicroSoft's and there were/are many apps with Small Basic name as Aurel has demonstrated to me some time ago. (see attached article from ASCII-World from archived site)

Compare date May 2000 to MS Small Basic Oct 2008: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microsoft_Small_Basic

Also you have tried it and posted a nice response in reply #1 here: http://retrogamecoding.org/board/index.php?topic=382.0

So I wonder why MS called theirs Small Basic?( NOT SmallBASIC ) What's Small about their version or them?

[ZXDunny]

So SmallBASIC has been around as long as ScriptBASIC?

[B+]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ScriptBasic

ScriptBasic has been developed since 1999 and has reached a fairly matured state in terms of functions and stability. The precompiled version available for Windows and Linux includes a command line version and a standalone web server.

Looks like SB started before sb but it's odd the ASC-II article of SmallBASIC is from Feb 1999. Reference Note #2: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SmallBASIC

John:

Small BASIC hasn't made much of an impact outside of this forum.

I just noticed today that ScriptBasic has been referenced 0 times in other articles by Wiki entry versus quite a few for SmallBASIC though SB has a Wiki (though that is a document created internally, it demonstrates a Bigger Better Support team).

We 'll have to ask John if SB can be downloaded from GooglePlay for free into Android devices as sb can b.

Another amazing stat: sb registered with SF 13 days before SB.

[ScriptBasic]

Wow!

I didn't realize SmallBASIC has been around that long. Congrats for keeping your project alive with so many BASIC offerings out there.

@B+  I have a Android Linux console mode version of Script BASIC that is more experimental than a platform I'm trying to support. I have my hands full trying to support Linux and Windows.

[chrisws]

Wow!

I didn't realize SmallBASIC has been around that long. Congrats for keeping your project alive with so many BASIC offerings out there.

@B+  I have a Android Linux console mode version of Script BASIC that is more experimental than a platform I'm trying to support. I have my hands full trying to support Linux and Windows.

I should mention that SmallBASIC was originally made by Nicholas Christopoulos for the Palm Pilot. The original starting date is a bit sketchy. The change log starts at version 0.5.4a back in 2001-02-04. I got interested in working on SmallBASIC as a porting project for the Franklin eBookman a year or so later. It's been pretty much just a hobby project since then.

[ScriptBasic]

That is what it is going to take to keep BASIC alive. Folks willing to take ownership in a BASIC project that stirs their passion to be a language developer.

[Tomaaz]

Is it a completely re-written version of this interpreter? I think I did try Small Basic in the past, but this version seems to be much better (or I'm just getting old and don't remember things correctly ).