Easy programming

Is a package like Visual BASIC something I can install on my pC and then start writing simple programs in BASIC?

 

Sort of yes, sort of no.

Visual BASIC is an Integrated Development Environment (IDE) that uses the Visual BASIC language. This is a language at a similar level as BASIC was to DOS, but for Windows. It has a drag and drop interface for creating your windows, buttons, labels, text boxes etc, and then you code the 'behaviour' of the program, with loops, if-else statements, etc in a language not dissimilar to BASIC.

If what you are wanting to do is write BASIC 'DOS' or text driven applications then VisualBASIC is a bit more than you need.

Depends on what you want to do. If you aren't familiar with programming, and want to learn basic concepts and get some easy windows based results, then VisualBASIC is a rewarding place to start.

 

If you want to program a more basic BASIC than visual Basic, you can try using QBASIC.

http://www.hitmill.com/programming/qbasic.html

Very good for learning the concepts of programming, since it's very simple and you don't need to worry about form components or any rubbish like that. Just PRINT and INPUT things, rather than settings TextBox99.Text = "something" or something = TextBox99.Text.