The PB Experience

[Patrice Terrier]

For me it is clear that the PB market is splitted in two, just have a look at the poll i started in 2010
http://www.powerbasic.com/support/pbforums/showthread.php?t=43647

Professionnals are not relunctant to spend their money to buy programming tools that would match their level of espectation, because it is the foundation of their own business. Now the others, of course would have another approach.

The question is, what would be the most profitable market when you are a small company creating Windows compiler?

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[John Spikowski]

My suggestion would be to make PowerBASIC shareware with a $49.95 registered user fee. A $99.00 2 year free updates plan could be offered as well. If this sounds familiar, (Basic4Android) they seem to be doing something right. Getting the BASIC in the hands of as many users as you can and have an active community may be a way to still make a profit with a commercial BASIC.

[Brice Manuel]

The question is, what would be the most profitable market when you are a small company creating Windows compiler?

It has been a few years since your poll, and the market has changed.  Now, the bigger question is, is it still profitable to produce a Windows only compiler?  Personally, I will never purchase another compiler that does not support 64-bit and is not multi-platform, including ARM.

My suggestion would be to make PowerBASIC shareware with a $49.95 registered user fee. A $99.00 2 year free updates plan could be offered as well. If this sounds familiar, (Basic4Android) they seem to be doing something right. Getting the BASIC in the hands of as many users as you can and have an active community may be a way to still make a profit with a commercial BASIC.

You can't make this comparison.  Well, you can, but it isn't a legitimate comparison.  Last year, over nine billion ARM CPUs were sold, more CPUs than Intel has sold in its entire existence.  Android is a legitimate market for indie developers and the shareware model works well for a compiler.  Windows is increasingly becoming an enterprise-only market as the average home user is buying tablets and other mobile devices instead of Windows-based desktops and laptops.  The shareware model has never been successful for compilers used in the enterprise market.

[Patrice Terrier]

My thought about the tablet market (i have a SAMSUNG Galaxy Tab 2) is that after a fast growing it will slow down, once people would realise that without a stylus, it is almost impossible to easily navigate the web using only the fingers (almost 50% of the time you will mis-clicking the correct link, or enlarge abruptly the screen or scroll it unespectedly).

The only thing it is handy for, is keeping the kids quiet while they are playing angry birds, or watching a video, or listening net radio. Trying to send a mail without a mouse and a true keyboard is a real nightmare, all the people around me are coming back to their PC, to achieve all the basic tasks they have done for years. Using only the tablet for entertainment and some to replace their GPS

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[John Spikowski]

I have 4 Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 10.1 tablets (1 rooted / 3 stock) and I have a much different experience then you have had. I use a bluetooth keyboard and mouse. When I start my ConnectBot ssh terminal, I have a full Linux C/C++ development environment with cURL, SQLite3 and all the standard Linux console tools/utilities. There is little difference developing on my laptop or my non-rooted tablet. (other than more memory, speed and disk space)

[Brice Manuel]

I agree with you about needing a stylus, I use a stylus myself for a lot of things, although I do have a keyboard I use for coding and word processing.  However, back when Bill Gates showed off the first Windows XP tablet with a stylus, nobody wanted it. 

I see people of all ages with tablets when I am out, and in restaurants with free WiFi, etc.  It is getting rarer to see laptops. 

Businesses are using tablets a lot.  The waitresses use them in restaurants for taking orders.  They inventory services are using tablets for inventory now.  Heck, even 7 or 8 years ago, when my cat was at the vet and had to get some X-Rays done, the vet had just upgraded their systems and had tablets that they brought into the exam room and showed you the xrays on the tablet instead of showing you traditional films. 

[Dennis Wallentin]

I face the same situation as the original poster.


After nearly 30 years of software developing and being in contact with a great number of vendors this is the first time I feel abused as a customer.


I'm disappointed.


As a new user of the PB compiler I thought that it existed a basic documentation and support for us newcomers. It was also disappointing to find out that it does not exist.


If it wasn't for people like José Roca, Chris Boss, Gary Beene et al I would already have walked away from PB. I take this opportunity to thank You all for Your efforts to the community.


For 15 - 20 years ago or so a good tool found it's customers by its self, more or less. However, today it's not enough to have a great tool. If You want new customers it all starts with a good custom's support.

Sorry for my negative tone.


Kind regards,
Dennis

[Brice Manuel]

If it wasn't for people like José Roca, Chris Boss, Gary Beene et al I would already have walked away from PB. I take this opportunity to thank You all for Your efforts to the community.

I echo this.  A HUGE thank you to José, Chris and Gary.  These three individuals are invaluable to the community.

[Frederick J. Harris]

I'm disappointed.

Does your compiler not work as advertised Dennis? 

In terms of documentation and community support, there appears to be lots of that.  There aren't any mainstream books on PowerBASIC programming available, but if you've been programming for as long as you say, then likely you already understand basic concepts making such books unnecessary. 

I believe Bob Zale always felt bad no one ever wrote a book on his PowerBASIC, but the language syntax is so similiar to Microsoft's older products that most folks from there brought a lot of capability along when they took up PowerBASIC.  And even in the case of the C family languages, buying a book on C won't teach you, for example, how to write C based Win Api GUIs.  You need to explore on your own for that.  And in that specific case, applicable books such as Petzold's already exist which are applicable to PowerBASIC coding.

I'm sorry you're disappointed; perhaps because of the type of work you do, other tools serve you better. 

[John Spikowski]

However, today it's not enough to have a great tool. If You want new customers it all starts with a good custom's support.

I think Dennis's main point is in the sentence above. With every loss and restructuring there is shared frustration with all concerned.

And if you blink, your karma rating can go from a +2 to a -18 if an admin feels a reveiw of your karma log is in order. Sort of like the IRS doing an audit.

[Frederick J. Harris]

Good job on the target John!  Made my evening!

[Brice Manuel]

I believe Bob Zale always felt bad no one ever wrote a book on his PowerBASIC...

There was at least one book on PB back in the DOS days, but like you said so much QB code could be typed in and run without any changes.

[Guy Dombrowski]

Same thing with GwBasic code that came free with MsDos.

And ditto for SmcBasic when I wrote my first programs for 8 bit computers in 1977.