NS Basic

NS Basic

Developer(s)	NS BASIC Corporation
Stable release	2008 / August 31, 2008
Operating system	Newton OS, Palm OS, Symbian OS, Windows CE, Windows Mobile, Microsoft Windows
Type	Programming
License	Proprietary
Website	http://www.nsbasic.com

NS Basic is a family of development tools for the BASIC programming language developed and commercially marketed by NS BASIC Corporation in Toronto, Canada for Newton OS, Palm OS, Symbian OS, Windows CE, Windows Mobile and Microsoft Windows.

History

NS BASIC Corporation was created in 1993 to provide a easy to use development tools for mobile devices. The manufacturers and licensors of the operating systems usually supply a C++ based tool aimed at highly skilled professional developers. NS BASIC provides an alternative using the Basic programming language, similar to Visual Basic. Key developers include George Henne, Marcus Darden, Eric Pepke and Dan Rowley.

As of 2009, NS Basic tools are used by almost 20,000 developers in over 80 countries.

NS Basic/CE

NS Basic/CE was released in 1998. It consists of an IDE, a compiler and a device specific runtime. The program is identical across all the supported platforms: only the runtime is device specific. Devices supported include the vast majority of Windows CE devices produced since 1998. See External Links for a complete list on NS Basic's website. Many NS Basic/CE programs can be run using NS Basic/CE on Windows desktop systems with little or no changes.

NS Basic/CE also includes a stripped down IDE which runs directly on a Windows CE device. This is of limited use on devices with small screen sizes.

The Handbook is available in English, German and Japanese. The IDE is localized for English, German, Spanish and Japanese.

The latest version of NS Basic/CE is 8.0.0, released in May, 2009.

NS Basic/Newton

NS Basic/Newton was released in 1993. While it is still available, support is limited. It runs entirely on the Newton OS device. The last version released was 3.61 in 1995. It is no longer being developed.

NS Basic/Palm

NS Basic/Palm first released in 2000. It consists of an IDE and a compiler. The runtime code can be embedded in the program to create a single executable. The apps it creates will run on any Palm OS device using Palm OS 3.1 or later, including the Palm Treo and Palm Centro. Programs written in NS Basic/Palm can run on Symbian OS devices once compiled using NS Basic/Symbian OS.

The Handbook is available in English, German and Japanese. The IDE is localized for English, German, Spanish and Japanese, Chinese, Chinese Simplified, French, Hebrew, Portuguese (Brazil) and Russian.

The latest version of NS Basic/Palm is 7.0.0, released in February, 2009.

NS Basic/Symbian OS

NS Basic/Symbian was released in August, 2008. It consists of an IDE and a compiler integrated with an installer creator. The apps it creates will run on any Symbian OS device using Series 60 3rd Edition or UIQ 3. Programs written in NS Basic/Symbian OS can run on Palm OS devices once compiled using NS Basic/Palm.

There are two versions: NS Basic/Symbian OS Standard Edition produces a self signed installer, intended for personal use and limited distribution apps. NS Basic/Symbian OS Pro Edition also produces an unsigned installer, which can then be signed according to the guidelines in Symbian Signed.

The Handbook is available in English. The IDE is localized for English, German, Spanish and Japanese, Chinese, Chinese Simplified, French, Hebrew, Portuguese (Brazil) and Russian.

The latest version of NS Basic/Symbian is 1.2.0, released in March, 2009.

NS Basic/Desktop

NS Basic/Desktop was released in 2005. It is a wrapper for VBScript. It extends the language by adding a full IDE, forms, screen objects and other features, such as support for SQLite. It also makes the deployed code unreadable and unmodifiable by the user, a major problem with VBScript apps. It creates applications for Windows 2000, XP and Vista. Many NS Basic/Desktop programs can be run using NS Basic/CE on mobile devices with little or no changes.

The Handbook is available in English. The IDE is localized for English, German, Hebrew and Japanese.

The latest version of NS Basic/Desktop is 4.0.0, released in June, 2009.

Example code

Function OKButton_Click()
   MsgBox "Hello World"
End Function

Mobile Application Development

The company also undertakes custom development for companies who need applications for mobile devices, such as iPhone, BlackBerry, Windows Mobile, Symbian OS (Nokia) and Palm OS. Applications can be developed for just one platform or for multiple platforms.

References

• Verive, Michael (2007). NS Basic Programming for Palm OS, 3rd Edition. The Eastwood Group. ISBN 0-9695844-6-6.

External links

• NS BASIC Corporation, makers of NS Basic.
• NS Basic/CE forum, Yahoo! Groups discussion forum for NS Basic/CE
• NS Basic/Palm forum, Yahoo! Groups discussion forum for NS Basic/Palm
• NS Basic/Symbian OS forum, Yahoo! Groups discussion forum for NS Basic/Symbian
• NS Basic/Desktop forum, Yahoo! Groups discussion forum for NS Basic/Desktop
• Devices Supported by NS Basic/CE