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Issue 1.1

FEATURE

Introducing REALbasic

Issue: 1.1 (August/September 2002)
Author: Thomas J. Cunningham
Article Description: An introduction to REALbasic
Article Length (in bytes): 10,637
Starting Page Number: 28
Article Number: 1006
Resource File(s):

Download Icon 1006.zip Updated: 2013-03-11 19:07:55

Related Web Link(s):

http://www.maui.net/~mauitom/BackYardJets&

Excerpt of article text...

This column is targeted for the new computer programmer. I program with REALbasic (RB) as a hobby. I have tried many other Mac programming applications and RB is far and away the most satisfying. It is a perfect development and learning platform for beginners, students, and experienced programmers. Don't let the BASIC in REALbasic fool you: there is plenty of power to write a wide assortment of fun, useful, and professional applications.

I assume that if you have made the commitment to this magazine, that you are a proficient Mac user and that you have at least spent a few hours going over the QuickStart.pdf and word processing tutorials that come with RB.

This column will back up a bit from the tutorial and explain a few of the beginning computer science issues introduced in these guides. It is intended to be a gentle course that will keep you interested in programming. Make no mistake about it: programming, for most, does not come naturally. It is a discipline that takes time. Like trying to learn to play a musical instrument, it takes patience, a bit of dedication, and lots of practice to obtain a certain level of fun and proficiency.

An Overview Of Programming with REALbasic

Programming a computer. What does this mean to you? The purpose of programming is to tell our computer what we want it to do. We want it to do certain tasks for us in a manner that we, as the programmer, think would be useful to a user, either ourselves or someone else. Our computer does not comprehend our human language. We need something to take our human desires and interpret these in a language that our Mac understands. REALbasic is our interpreter. Programming a computer can be described by two principles: logic and math.

Now, it would be cool if we could just tell RB, "would you please have my Mac balance my checkbook for me?" Sorry, RB is awesome, your Mac is the best, but they are not that good. No, in order to have RB help us program our Mac, we need to learn the language that RB understands. The RB language is not French, German, or even English. It is a version of BASIC, an acronym that stands for Beginner's All-purpose Symbolic Instruction Code. REALbasic is just one of perhaps hundreds of different variations of the BASIC language. Please note that the "B" in BASIC" stands for beginners, which is good for us, right?

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