Visual Basic

Visual Basic (VB) is the software third-generation event-driven programming language and integrated development environment (IDE) from Microsoft for its COM programming model. VB is considered a relatively easy to learn and use programming language, because of its graphical development and BASIC heritage.

Visual Basic was derived from BASIC and enables the rapid application development (RAD) of graphical user interface (GUI) application, access to databases using Data Access Objects, Remote Data bjects, or ActiveX Data Objects, and creation ActiveX controls and objects. Scripting languages such as VBA and VBScript are syntactically similar to Visual Basic, but perform differently.

A programmer can put together and application using the components provided with Visual Basic itself. Program written in Visual Basic can also use the Windows API, but doing so requires external function declarations.

The final release was version 6 in 1998. Microsoft's extended support ended in March 2008 and the desinated successor was Visual Basic.NET (a.k.a Visual Basic)

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Microsoft QuickBASIC

Microsoft QuickBASIC is an Integrated Development Environment (IDE) and compiler for the BASIC programming language that was developed by Microsoft. QuickBASIC runs mainly on DOS, though there was a shirt-lived version for Mac OS. It is loosely based on GW-BASIC but adds user-defined types, improved programming structures, better graphics and disk support and a compiler in addition to the interpreter. Microsoft marketed QuickBASIC as the introductory level for their BASIC Professional Development System.



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Softwares Application

Typical examples of software applications are word processors, spredsheets and media players.

1) Word processing typically refers to text manipulaton functions such as automatic generation of:

• batch mailings using a form letter template and an address database ( also called mail merging)
• indices of keywords and their page numbers
• tables of contents with section titles and their page numbers
• cross-referencing with section or page numbers
• footnote numbering

2) A spreadshets is a computer application that simulates a paper worksheet. It displays multiple cells that together make up a grid consisting of rows and columns, each cell containing either alphanumeric text or numeric values. A spreadsheet cell may alternatively contain a formula that defines how the contents of that cell is to be calculated from the contents of any other cell (or combination of cells) each time any is updated. Spreadsheets are frequently used for financial information because of their ability to re-calculate the entire shhet automatically after a change to a single cell is made.

3) Media player is a term typically used to describe computer softwares for playing back multimedia files. Most software media players support ana array of media formats, including both audio and video files.

Some media players focus only on audio or video and are known as audio players and video players respectively. The producers of these players usually focus on providing a better user experience as they are specifically tailored the media type.

Description of....

Operating system

• a programs that control the hardware directly
• they a way for applications software to communicate with hardware
• they manage the transfer of data to and from various peripherals

User interface

The user interface the aggregate of means by which people-the user-interact with the system-a particular machine, device, computer program or other complex tool. The user interface provide means of

• Input; allowing the users to manipulate a system
• Output; allowing the system to indicate the effects of the users' manipulation
  

Translator

Translators convert written materials from one language into another. In computing; this is the software the converts the whole of a program written in a high-level language into machine code in one go. For example, if a program needs to be altered at a later date, the original source code is altered and the program recompiled.

Utility software

Utility software is computer software designed to help manage and tine the computer hardware, operating software or application software by performing a single task or a small range of tasks. Utility software has long been integrated into most major operating systems. These are some example of utility software and it's functions:

• Disk storage utilities; e.g disk defragmenters, backup, disk compression and file managers
• System profilers provide detailed information about the software installed and hardware attached to the computer
• Data compression utilities output a shorter steam or a smaller file when provided with a steam or file.
  

Programming language

A programming language isa machine -readable artificial language designed to express computations that cn be perfomed by a machine, particularly a computer. Programming languages can be used t create programs that specify the behavior of a machine, to express algorithms precisely, or as a mode of human communication.

Many programming languages have some form of written specification of their syntax and semantics, since computers require precisely designed instructions. Some are defined by a specification document, while others have a dominant implementation.