Microsoft

Note: I received this book for free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Interesting to see the decisions that go into designing an art style that is meant to both modernize as well as call back to the original and the delicate balance that goes into that. I wish there was more info about this. I wish there was more concept art too. It can be frustrating how many concepts don't have any captions providing context. A lot of concept art that was chosen had a backlit quality to show more it that obscured the foreground: I assume that this is intentional to show the environments, but, again, lacking a framing, it doesn't have the impact that it could have.

I mostly just want more of it. show less

Version 4.5 was the last version of Microsoft QuickBASIC. There is good news and bad news about the manual that came with the software.

The good news is that QuickBASIC 4.5 and its compiler are fantastic. Compact executables can be quickly created from source code. These programs compile and run just fine under Windows XP in a DOS emulation window.

The bad news is that the manual consists of two books in one with separate tables of contents and separate alphabetical indexes. ("Old Fumble show more Fingers" has a hard time finding stuff.)

Book One, Learning to Use Microsoft QuickBASIC, Part One is about getting started. Here the reader learns how to install the program, run it, use QuickBASIC menus and commands, and navigate through QuickBASIC's windows. There is also a chapter for beginners.

Book One, Part Two is a hands-on tutorial for QuickBASIC. It tells how to create a sample program called QCARDS. In this section, readers learn how to edit a program in QuickBASIC's view window, how to program with on-line help from within the QuickBASIC environment, and how to debug while programming.

Book One, Part Three covers QuickBASIC menus and commands. Here the reader learns about the File Menu, the Edit Menu, the View Menu, the Search Menu, the Run Menu, the Debug Menu, the Calls Menu, the Options Menu, and the Help Menu.

Book One ends with a glossary, an alphabetical index, and some answers to common questions about QuickBASIC.

Book Two, Programming in BASIC, Part One, Chapters 1-7 deal with selected programming topics, such as, control-flow structures, SUB and FUNCTION procedures, file and device I/O, string processing, graphics, error trapping, event trapping, and programming with modules.

Book Two, Part Two, Chapters 8 & 9 bring the reader to the heart of BASIC. Chapter 8 is devoted to a statement and function summary. Chapter 9 consists of seven quick-reference tables: (1) Summary of Control-Flow Statements, (2) Summary of Statements Used in BASIC Procedures, (3) Summary of Standard I/O Statements, (4) Summary of File I/O Statements, (5) Summary of String-Processing Statements and Functions, (6) Summary of Graphics Statements and Functions, and (7) Summary of Trapping Statements and Functions.

The remainder of Book Two is devoted to appendices: (A) Converting BASICA Programs to QuickBASIC, (B) Differences from Previous Versions of QuickBASIC, (C) Limits in QuickBASIC, (D) Keyboard Scan Codes and ASCII Character Codes, (E) BASIC Reserved Words, (F) Metacommands, (G) Compiling and Linking from DOS, (H) Creating and Using Quick Libraries, and (I) Error Messages.

The most disappointing thing about this two-in-one manual is the way Microsoft buried its most helpful information, the "Quick-Reference Tables." Yours Truly, "Old Fumble Fingers," finds nothing quick about locating the "Quick-Reference Tables" in Book Two, Part Two, Chapter 9, Pages 297-308. show less

I bought this set planning on using it to get another Microsoft Certification. I haven't had time to study for that. What little I've looked at it, makes it seem like a good set to get Certified but not very great for learning real world applications of the .Net framework.

This book is a reference manual for Microsoft Works, Version 2.0, for DOS.

Microsoft Works is an office suite ("home productivity software suite") available from Microsoft. It is smaller, less expensive, and has fewer features than its big brother, the Microsoft Office suite.

The core functionality of Microsoft Works Version 2.0 includes a word processor, a spreadsheet program, a database manager, and a terminal emulator for communications.

Setting up and starting Works is relegated to an show more appendix.

I tried to use Works a time or two, but was so disappointed by its limitations that I quickly abandoned it in favor of shareware and freeware applications that did the same things, only better. show less