# Omikron Basic or similar, need feedback



## guilly (Jun 18, 2004)

I'm looking for and easy-to-learn language, object oriented or half-object oriented but somehow linear (not THAT much object-oriented as RealBASIC, I like to have my list of code and total control).

I've seen Omikron Basic, it looks fine but before entering in the "learning-curve" and paying the sum it costs (to develope GUIs you have to pay more than 200 USD) I want to have some feedback. Of course, the software must be able to compile the projects as standalone applications.

I do not intend to program games (although it is a hobby to do simple games), but to create simple to medium-weight applications with a cocoa user interface.

So some feedback about Omikron will be welcomed, as well as some other programming language recommendation.

Note: I do not find Cocoa has a "light" learning curve, neither Java; even RealBASIC can be very confusing at times.


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## guilly (Jun 21, 2004)

So many answers...


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## Oscar Castillo (Jun 23, 2004)

guilly said:
			
		

> So many answers...



You'll probbaly want to use TrueBASIC, but it's not OS X native yet.
You can code old style if you wish, no object anything, even the old style line numbering works.  You'll have to run it classic though until te OS X version is complete.


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## guilly (Jun 23, 2004)

Thank you for your answer, but TrueBASIC is not what I'm looking for. Even though TrueBASIC is an old-BASIC-style w/compiler programming language, it is far behind in the kind of features I'm seeking (Chipmunk BASIC has better features although it can't be compiled, and it is free).

I'm looking for a BASIC-like programming language that allows me to work with graphical interfaces the easy way, but that is NOT VB Like (i.e. not like RealBASIC). And preferably OS X native.

Wether it is object oriented or not, I do not really care, but not in an exagerated manner as with RealBASIC. In RealBASIC everything is an object and you have no other choices. For me that is quite akward and I find quite difficult to get used to it. I like to have variables, constants, etc... In RealBASIC it seems that the term variable is just auxiliary, you have to work with objects and properties. Holys*t, that is confusing to my tiny mind; it is not that I do not know how to work with objects and properties, it is that I cannot make a program when I've only got that choice.


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## anarchie (Jun 23, 2004)

http://python.org/

It only bears a passing resemblance to BASIC, but frankly, BASIC isn't that great to begin with.  More modern scripting languages are a better choice to learn.

http://www.ruby-lang.org/en/

I haven't used this one personally, but programmers at iDevGames are quite fond of it.  It bears even less resemblance to BASIC, but both of these languages begin with a programmatic flow - you only make objects if you want them.  Interpreters for both languages ship with OS X.  Both languages also feature bindings to the Cocoa framework, so that you can create interfaces programmatically or by loading NIB files created using Interface Builder.


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## Oscar Castillo (Jun 23, 2004)

Unfortunately I think you're looking for something that may not even exist for the current OS anyway.  OOP is really the way to go, although for simpler tasks it's overkill to have to think in OOP terms.  
Personally I can't see myself coding any other way.  It is a steep learning curve if you just don't like the rigid structure of it all.  Takes some time to get use to, but well worth the effort.  Objective-C and Java will take some time to master, but simple programs should be easy enough to do after a little time with either.  Could you get by with AppleScript?


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## guilly (Jun 24, 2004)

I've never tried Applescript (ooohps). I'm very much acquainted with PHP and mySQL. I have a basic C knowledge. I master DHTML (JavaScript) too.

I have done some software with PocketC (for PalmOS), Microsoft ASP, EthosBasic & DarkBasic (this 2 are interesting easy-to-learn programming languages game-purpose for the PC platform). I've tried to make software with RealBASIC, but I've never finished any project - maybe my expectations were too high. However I found frustrating to take soooo long time to make a program that otherwise would have taken me 1/5th of the time.

Of course, I did many things with QBASIC and far beyond in time, with the very famous Sinclair Spectrum BASIC - but that was a long time ago (afterall it was based on Microsoft's BASIC).


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## Oscar Castillo (Jun 24, 2004)

guilly said:
			
		

> I've never tried Applescript (ooohps). I'm very much acquainted with PHP and mySQL. I have a basic C knowledge. I master DHTML (JavaScript) too.
> 
> I have done some software with PocketC (for PalmOS), Microsoft ASP, EthosBasic & DarkBasic (this 2 are interesting easy-to-learn programming languages game-purpose for the PC platform). I've tried to make software with RealBASIC, but I've never finished any project - maybe my expectations were too high. However I found frustrating to take soooo long time to make a program that otherwise would have taken me 1/5th of the time.
> 
> Of course, I did many things with QBASIC and far beyond in time, with the very famous Sinclair Spectrum BASIC - but that was a long time ago (afterall it was based on Microsoft's BASIC).



I hear good things about AppleScript, but I've never had the time to really look into it.  My understanding is that you can use it to create software from simple to sophisticated.


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## guilly (Jun 25, 2004)

Oscar Castillo said:
			
		

> I hear good things about AppleScript, but I've never had the time to really look into it.  My understanding is that you can use it to create software from simple to sophisticated.



Entonces supongo que este es el momento de plantearse comprarse un libro...


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## guilly (Jun 25, 2004)

I browsed through FutureBASIC and TNT Basic (I'm amazed to find so many basic-like programming languages in the Cocoa environment), but finally I found a software somewhat like the one I was looking for.

It is called Metal, and it is its version 1.7. It seems that it hasn't received updates in a while but it does its job fine, it is OS X native and very easy to learn. Documentation and programming interface could improve a lot, but the programming language itself does exactly what I was expecting, and it compiles its listings thus creating standalone aplications.

Ah! and it is free...


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## dsimpson (Jun 25, 2004)

You might consider Revolution (www.runrev.com). It is object oriented, economical and even works cross-platform. I use it for development of several applications I have created - like the ones at: www.fmpromigrator.com


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## guilly (Jun 25, 2004)

Yes I know Revolution, but somehow I tried the demo version and couldn't get a thing to work. Wether I'm stupid or it is not the kind of environment I'm referring to (probably it's a bit of both). However I'll take a look at the appz you've made yourself. You'll have news from me sometime in a near future.


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