🚀 go-pugleaf

wiegand@rtsg.mot.com (Robert Wiegand) writes:

>>That's pretty much the question.  Is QBASIC (supplied with DOS 5.x) faster
>>than the equivalent GWBASIC program?


>Someone please correct me if i'm wrong - but I believe Qbasic is compiled
>while GWbasic is interpreted. This would make Qbasic much faster.
>It also means that once you compile the programs you don't need Qbasic
>to run them.

If we were talking about the MS QBASIC sold as a seperate package at your 
local store, then yes, it is a compiler, so the code will be many times 
faster than either QBASIC supplied with MSDOS 5.0 or GWBASIC (BASIC) which
also comes with DOS.

But the original poster ask about QBASIC which comes with DOS 5.0 which
is an interpreted language. The source code is compatible with the QBASIC
compiler. As to the relative speed differences between DOS QBASIC and
GWBASIC, well it's all a matter of programming style/skill.

QBASIC makes it easier to perform structured top-down programming and
utilizes labels instead of line numbers. On the other hand someone who
is able to do top-down with GW BASIC can realize the same speed and
efficiency. I would say go with QBASIC, because you can eventually
purchase the compiler and compile it later.