Date: Tue, 10 Nov 92 13:48:38 PST
From: "Anthony E. Siegman" <[email protected]>
Subject: Programming the Mac in BASIC


  Here for what it's worth is an annotated list of books and other
references on programming the Mac in QuickBASIC and other BASICs.
Most of these are several years or more old, but some of them could
still be useful, especially for more novice or amateur programmers.

  Publish, archive, or ditch as you see fit (about 150 lines total).

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Programming the Macintosh in BASIC (Recent References)
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%       Harvey M. Deitel and Paul J. Deitel, Microsoft Macintosh
QuickBASIC: A Structured Approach (Prentice Hall, 1991).

       One reviewer says: ``This (might be) a good book for a person
who has never used BASIC on any machine and is learning on the Mac,
but I would not recommend it to either an experienced BASIC programmer
or someone already familiar with programming on the Mac in another
language.''  Another reviewer says: ``This is a good learning book for
beginners.  Unique Macintosh functions that are provided with BASIC
keywords are covered, but the CALLed ToolBox functions and the use of
the ToolBox command are not addressed at all, and advanced programming
techniques are only addressed lightly if at all.  For a book with a
subtitle `A Structured Approach' I was disappointed with their
examples which I feel are not good examples of structured programming
in BASIC.''

%       Michael Halvorson and David Rygmyr, Learn BASIC for the Apple
Macintosh Now (Microsoft Press, 1990, paperbound, $39.95).

       Another introductory book on BASIC that looks OK, but pretty
elementary also.

%       Ross W. Lambert, ed., ``Inside Basic'' (monthly magazine from
Ariel Publishing, Inc., P. O. Box 398, Pateros WA 98846, phone
509-923-2249).

       This is a new (as of January 1991) magazine which provides
articles, discussion and sample code related to three of the four
current versions of BASIC available for the Macintosh, namely
Microsoft QuickBASIC, ZBasic, and HyperBASIC (which is not really a
free-standing language, but is used for writing extended commands for
HyperCard in BASIC).  It does not provide coverage of True BASIC,
which is a very good and modern machine-independent version of BASIC
that runs on several different types of personal computers, but
because of its machine-independent character does not take full access
of the Macintosh environment.

       Since I'm a strong proponent of Microsoft QuickBASIC as a
Macintosh programming environment for amateur, beginning, or even
professional programmers, I'm fond of this magazine despite its
occasional quirks.

**********************************************************
Programming the Macintosh in BASIC (Older References)
**********************************************************

[All of the following texts are dated 1986 or earlier and were written
with a focus on the earlier versions of Microsoft BASIC whichlater
evolved into Microsoft QuickBASIC.  They are thus somewhat dated at
this point, although several of them, notably the ``Microsoft
Macinations'' book by The Waite Group, may still be very useful for
novice QuickBASIC programmers.]

%       Sharon Zardetto Aker, MacBits: Utilities and Routines for the
BASIC Programmer (Compute! Publications, 1986, paperbound, $16.95).

       This slightly specialized but useful book describes some 100
programming tools and utilities written in BASIC which can be used to
simplify writing other programs in MS BASIC 3.0. Includes 18
code-writing utilities to generate BASIC code for making windows,
programming buttons, etc., plus approximately 80 other routines which
can be copied and used in finished programs. The programs are also
available on a Macintosh disk.

%       Sharon Zardetto Aker, Microsoft BASIC Programming for the
Macintosh (Scott, Foresman, 1985).

       Perhaps a bit out of date?

%       Bitter and Goodberlet, Macintosh QuickBASIC for Business
(Pretice-Hall, 1987).

       I haven't seen this one.

%       James S. Coan and Louisa Coan, Basic Microsfot BASIC for the
Macintosh (Hayden Books, 1985).

       Also probably now fairly out of date.

%       Philip Calippe, Advanced Macintosh BASIC Programming (Compute
Publications, 1985, paperbound, $16.95).

       This is a reference guide useful for programmers already
familiar with elementary BASIC programming. It discusses and gives
examples of the more advanced Macintosh-specific features of Microsoft
BASIC, including especially the Macintosh ROM routines that are
available directly from BASIC. However, it does not cover the many
additional Macintosh toolbox routines that become available by using
the MS BASIC ToolLib. A program diskette is also available.

%       Dietel and Dietel, Microsoft Macintosh BASIC (Prentice-Hall,
1988).

       I haven't seen this one.

%       Walter A. Ettlin and Gregory Solberg, The Microsoft BASIC Book
(Osborne/McGraw-Hill, 1985, paperbound, $18.95).

       This seems to be primarily an elementary introduction to BASIC
programming, with only a very little on the special features of BASIC
on the Macintosh.

%       Larry J. Goldstein, Garry Helzer, and David Schneider,
Microsoft BASIC for the Macintosh (Brady Books/Prentice-Hall, 1986,
paperbound).

       This is essentially a fat handbook giving an introductory
tutorial on BASIC, and then a detailed description and summary of all
the standard commands in MS BASIC, presented in alphabetical order.
Contains little or nothing on the toolbox routines accessed through
the MS BASIC ToolLib.

%       David Kater, Macintosh Graphics and Sound: Programming in
Microsoft BASIC (Osborne McGraw-Hill, 1986, paperbound, $17.95).

       One of the many paperbacks giving a simple introductory
description of how to use the graphics and sound capabilities of the
Mac from MS Basic 2.0 This one is OK, but nowhere near as detailed or
extensive as Microsoft Macinations described below.

%       Steve Lambert, Creative Programming in Microsoft BASIC
(Microsoft Press, 1985).

       Also now likely to be out of date.

%       Richard C. Vile, Jr., Macintosh Programming Using MS-BASIC 2.0
(TAB Books, 1985, paperbound, $16.95).

       This book gives a good introduction to the more sophisticated
Macintosh capabilities available through MS BASIC, for programmers who
already know elementary BASIC programming. It contains numerous
helpful hints and demonstration programs, and a separate program disk
is also available. The coverage is primarily limited to the commands
built into BASIC itself however, plus the QuickBASIC ROM routines; it
does not cover the additional ToolBox capabilities provided by the MS
BASIC ToolLib. The book does have an interesting QuickDraw Trainer
program for demonstrating the ROM QuickDraw routines accessible from
BASIC.

%       The Waite Group (M. Waite, R. Lafore, and I. Lansing ),
Microsoft Macinations: An Introduction to Microsoft BASIC for the
Apple Macintosh (Microsoft Press, 1985).

       Now partly out of date because of the emergence of QuickBASIC;
but still a clear and fairly detailed coverage of how to use MS Basic
and the Toolbox extensions on the Macintosh. Still recommendedQclear
explanations for the beginner, clever illustrations and examples for
the slightly more advanced programmer.

%       The Waite Group (M. Waite, D. Putterman, D. Urquhart, and C.
Blanchard), Macintosh Midnight Madness: Utilities, Games and Other
Grand Diversions in Microsoft BASIC for the Apple Macintosh (Microsoft
Press, 1985).

       Haven't seen this one.

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