Liberty BASIC
From Free net encyclopedia
Liberty BASIC is a commercial programming language and integrated development environment (IDE) that works on 16 and 32 bit Windows and also on OS/2.
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Background
Liberty BASIC was published in its first release by Shoptalk Systems in 1992, and has progressed steadily since then. The last published update to the software was in 2006. The current version is v4.03.
Shoptalk Systems has also released an add-on package called Assist. Assist has many new features, such as a code formatter, source code versioning, a performance profiler, an easy-to-use code difference browser, and an improved package and deployment system.
Liberty BASIC has been used to facilitate and actualize examples of code for various guides and references about programming in Windows, including "Beginning Programming For Dummies", written by Wallace Wang, and published by Hungry Minds International.
Though Liberty BASIC has its share of limitations in its design for advanced programming, it makes a credible and highly useable introductory IDE for moderate to advanced users of Windows and OS/2. The OS/2 version is very old, but free.
The compiler recognizes its own dialect of the BASIC programming language. The BASIC programming language has been used to teach programming since the age of DOS 3.3.
The programming language dialect, and the IDE have developed a market niche for introductory and intermediate programmers who are learning the skills of programming, though it has been less widely adopted as a commercial publishing product. This is not to say that Liberty Basic is educational software only. It is still a commercial product, and can be used to create commercial software.
In its current version, it runs only on Microsoft Windows, but v5 is supposedly going to run on Mac OS and Linux systems as well, in addition to being "up to 5 times faster" than the current version, says its author.
License Information
A 30-day free trial version is available.
For Liberty BASIC there are two licenses available for purchase, in version 4.02 and later. The less expensive of the two, is a SILVER license which allows you to compile your application into memory and run it from there. The more expensive GOLD license permits the creation of standalone applications using a runtime engine and some support files. Standalone applications do not require the inclusion of program source code.
Features
- A visual development tool called FreeForm, written in Liberty BASIC. It has been greatly extended by the Liberty BASIC community over the years.
- An editor for writing BASIC programs
- A source level debugger
- Easy calling of DLLs and APIs
- Color graphics capability
- Can create games with sprite animation, sound, music, and joystick control
- A unique interactive tutorial suitable for the beginner
See also
- Liberty BASIC Workshop (an add-on IDE for Liberty BASIC)
- Just BASIC - The freeware version of this project.