October 4th, 1999

[7:00 AM] New Web Resource Announced For FutureBASIC Developers

Users of Staz Software's FutureBASIC have a new repository of information and support, FutureBasic.org. The web site's producers are promising a comprehensive resource for developers interested in FutureBASIC. According to FutureBasic.org:

The website is a one-stop experience for information about FBII and FB^3. Much of the information is provided for free to all visitors as a way to promote use of FutureBASIC. The organization requests, however, a one-time registration from frequent users in order to maintain and improve the site. The first benefit of membership is a CD containing this entire site, as of the date you joined, as well as support-list archives, and more. The information contained therein is of immense value to newbies and veteran programmers alike.

There are four main top-level folders available via ftp on this site: Programs, Sample_Source, FB^3, and AOL. The Programs folder contains a multitude of fully functional applications written and contributed by FB programmers. The Sample_Source folder contains snippets of sample source code (and even full applications) describing a variety of techniques related to Mac programming with FutureBASIC II. The FB^3 folder (new!) is for source code relating to the recently released FutureBASIC^3. Finally, the AOL folder contains archives of the old message boards from when Ariel Publishing maintained a presence on AOL, including all of the source code that was housed there.

You can use FutureBASIC to produce any kind of Macintosh code resource: INITs, control panels, applications, WDEFs, CDEFs, pure code, and even HyperCard XCMDs. FB supports a majority of the Mac toolbox, and as new functions and features are released by Apple in new versions of System software, it's not hard to tell FB how to use these features. Staz Software, Inc. also provides tons of sample code, including interfaces to the serial ports, QuickTime movies, Balloon Help, and low level event handling.

The registration fee for frequent users is US$20. You can find more information on the site at the site. Go figure... :-)

FutureBasic.org