Is BASIC dead ?

[fowardbias]

I don't know if BASIC is dead, it does seem to take a back seat to C++ with the newer microcontroller development systems. I am more concerned about getting the 18F97J94 series added to the PB3 list. This series with the V-bat feature has an auto shutdown which allows for context saving of the data. It is the only 8-bit MC chip that will do this. We can still do all of the sleep modes(with other chips) because PBP2.6C allows in-line assembly, direct register access and handmade macros. This is will work but can be a total pain. I believe if MeLabs were to add this chip it would help many of us out there using solar or stand alone battery systems. Well, hope it happens. I noticed no recent updates to PB3? Is is running solid with the new MCS? Just a concerned hobbyist.

[rsocor01]

The first program language that I learned was Basic. Then, it came Fortran, Cobol and so on. C language came much later for me. So, needless to say that I feel much more comfortable programming PICs in Basic.

One thing is for sure. MELabs needs to keep up with the newest chips in order not to follow behind. It might be that in 10 or 20 years from now, the chips that we are used to program now will be outdated or discontinued by that time.

[Pista1]

I also very much hope PBP will be here for a long time to come. I agree with everyone who commented before me that the website of MELabs could be upgraded to reflect the PBP3 changes. Also based on my personal experience beginners would benefit from more very basic examples (in BASIC of course).
3-4 years ago I started with PBP and never regretted it. After making a couple of LED flashing circuits, I put together my first EKG simulator program which was less than 50 lines and used only 5 or 6 of the available commands of the many of PBP programming languages. I got quite a kick out of it that the world famous manufacturer’s 12 Lead EKG Arrhythmia Analyzer after reading my PBP program generated EKG simulation gave it a “Normal Sinus Rhythm Normal EKG” label.

The Forum is a great help. As I see it when the forum took off everybody was kind of a beginner and this was the good time to start. New beginners who came later to the game often received the infamous advice from now grown up PBP experts: “read the manual!” Certainly excellent advice: read the manual. But how to read the manual is an art to itself.
In summary I think the gurus are taken care of but the complete beginners could use a lot of help from us and MElabs.

Steve

[HenrikOlsson]

Yes, we've ALL been beginners at one point or another.
The problem is that there are a couple of regular users here. Then there are a lot of users who only pop in when they have an issue they need help with.
This means that the regular users have to answer the same questions (analog features needs to be disabled, how do you handle the configuration words and why does pin x change state when I write to pin y) over and over again.

IMHO RTFM type responses (preferably with a reference to a relevant section IN the manual) is valid when the answer to the question clearly IS stated in the manual. Sometimes it might just have been overlooked.

With Darrels unfortunate and sad departure this forum is now, as far as I know, without any MeLabs representative.

So, what do you want MeLabs to concentrate on?
1) Writing beginner tutorials and answering the same type of question over and over again or
2) Improving the core of PBP and adding features and chips, letting the forum users handle (1) above?

Personally I'd prefer (2) but in the end MeLabs has to do what's needed to keep the sales up - whatever that may be.

All WE can really do is stick around and help each other out the best we can.

/Henrik.

[Ioannis]

I agree with 2) above. After all, if we cannot help each other here, the last resource is Melabs itself, and they do help very well.

Ioannis

[dsicon]

I agree with 2) above. After all, if we cannot help each other here, the last resource is Melabs itself, and they do help very well.

Ioannis

yes agreed

i have asked MeLabs for help several times lately and always have gotten patient and useful responses, great company, great product

[Scampy]

Been away from the forum for a while, but for me it's not that BASIC is dead, but the PBP is struggling. The loss of DT is a major blow, but as mentioned there were others who know BASIC programming inside out who have moved on and no longer post, but where it's lacking is in functionality. For me it's nearest competitor is MikroBasic, which features support for Ethernet, wi-fi, bluetooth etc and produces the hardware too. Whilst the Ardiuno bay well bloat the code, it's library base covers most of these functions too. IMO, if PBP doesn't keep up and provide library files to support common hardware for these sort of devices then it will become left behind, and eventually be uneconomical to continue, which would be a shame.