Upgrading PowerBasic?

[MikeTrader]

When I began with PowerBasic ten years ago, I researched it carefully. I called and was told that one of many benefits of choosing PowerBasic over other languages I was considering at that time was that I would be able to upgrade to new versions, and that the cost would be significantly less.

I seem to remember this was part of their advertising at the time. That was version 5 I believe. Since then I have upgraded three times to version 8 for $99 or so. Now we are invited to upgrade again:
http://www.powerbasic.com/support/pbforums/showthread.php?t=38203

Since many many users have reported on the PB forum that they have upgraded,
http://www.powerbasic.com/support/pbforums/showthread.php?t=38112
http://www.powerbasic.com/support/pbforums/showthread.php?t=38216

Did you upgrade?
Do you know of any users that were not able to upgrade?

[Petr Schreiber]

Hi Mike,

I think it depends in what do you need.

I upgraded to PB/WIN 9 because:
- it has improved assembler with support for SSEn instructions
- I was curious about new object model
- PB team introduced all suggestions I sent them ( like shortcut assignments x += 5 )

Another thing to consider is that José takes PB/WIN 9 as base version for new headers - DirectX9/10, OpenGL 1.0-3.0 ... I can use all of this with PB/WIN 9 now.

For graphics/game programmer new PB is very good choice. I guess I could still use PB 6 for most of my work, but with PB9 things got easier (without any performance cost observed). Ability to create COM DLLs comes handy when you colaborate on project where some programmers use Microsoft Visual C# - you can provide DLL with OOP interface they are used to.

New PB, although introduced some interesting OOP options, does not force you to use this style of programming, which I take as big plus.

In case you use DDT often, new version of the compiler has improved it a lot, so writing little dialog applications is now very easy. Some new built in controls, as imagelist, are very nice too.

So far my experience is very positive - there was one bug with COM type libraries in 9.0 release, but free update already addressed it. The already mentioned OOP programming does not give so many choices as other OOP tools ( parameters for constructor for example ), the introduced model is tightly bound to COM. This has the advantage of easy publishing of classes, at cost of less OO "gymnastics" possible.

I did some checks in the past about other compilers, but none was the right for me - I tried PureBASIC demo and FreeBASIC. Both seem very nice, but I still prefer PowerBASIC in compilers, so far the only compiler I trust for doing "serious" code, because of its stability, string handling ... and all other mentioned above.

In interpreters area I fell in love with ThinBasic when everything started and since then I am just more and more happy with it.


Petr

[MikeTrader]

Hi Petr,
Thanks, yes I am aware of the benefits and problems with the PowerBasic windows compiler. What I am trying to ascertain in this thread is whether it is customary for a registered user to be ABLE to upgrade... meaning
Did you upgrade (seems like you did) and do you know of ANYONE in the community that has not been able too?

[ErosOlmi]

I upgraded to latest PowerBasic both for Console and Windows version of the compiler.

Since I started to work with PB I always upgraded to any release PowerBasic produced. There are no special reasons, I'm just very passionated with PowerBasic compilers. I know they put a great passion too in their products so I'm quite confident they do their best always.

On the technical side, new PowerBasic for Windows 9.x and PowerBasic Console 5.x introduced a lot of new keywords and functionalities too long to mention here. The list can be scrolled here: http://www.powerbasic.com/support/help/pbwin/index.htm and http://www.powerbasic.com/support/help/pbcc/index.htm

I also recently got printed manual. They are very nice but more or less they are exactly the same as compiler help. In any case I like to have book with me (in any place I go) ready to be ... physically browsed.

Upgrade to new version is quite easy: purchase it, PB Inc. will send you a mail with instructions on where to download your application, install it.

Ciao
Eros

[MikeTrader]

Is it fair to say that this is this is the usual, customary practice of powerbasic?

[ErosOlmi]

Well, to me it has always been that way.

Because I've always upgraded the very first day PB released a new version and because PowerBasic handle their customer orders by manual checking, sometimes you have to wait maybe 2/3 days before having your mail with instructions back but this only because the very first day PowerBasic usually received a lot of upgrade requests. This is quite acceptable, isn't it?

Upgrading yes or no of course depends on what you use PowerBasic compilers for but even if you use PB just for fun or just for programming pleasure, jumping from 8.x to 9.x will really be full of fun. PBObjects (the optional PowerBasic OOP) will open a great new ways of programming experience.

Ciao
Eros

[John Spikowski]

Is it fair to say that this is this is the usual, customary practice of powerbasic?


If you mean does PowerBASIC have a blacklist of old customers that Bob is fighting with or has ..... and refuses to sell, update or allowed to be a member of the forum then there are exceptions to the norm at the "House of PowerBASIC"

[ErosOlmi]

Please,

if someone has problems with PB Inc, just drop a mail to support at powerbasic dot com

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