twinBASIC Weekly Update

twinBASIC Update: November 18, 2024

Highlights include step-by-step instructions for building PhotoDemon with twinBASIC, a timeline update for the next BETA release, and the passing of a BASIC icon.

Mike Wolfe

Nov 18, 2024 • 4 min read

On April 23, 2021, I helped Wayne Phillips introduce the world to twinBASIC at the Access DevCon Vienna conference. I boldly predicted that twinBASIC (along with the Monaco editor) would replace VBA and its outdated development environment by 2025. With that goal in mind, this weekly update is my attempt to keep the project fresh in the minds of the VBA development community.

Every ~~Sunday~~ ~~Monday~~ week, I will be providing updates on the status of the project, linking to new articles discussing twinBASIC, and generally trying to increase engagement with the project. If you come across items that should be included here, please leave a comment below.

Here are some links to get involved with the project:

Highlights

Timeline Update for Next BETA Release

Here's the latest news from Wayne in Discord:

Hey everyone, I know many of you are eagerly awaiting the next twinBASIC release, so I understand this will be disappointing news. I have to postpone it until the end of the month. Rest assured, I'm working flat out to make sure this update is polished, and I promise it will be worth the wait. Thank you for your patience and support!

Discord Chat Summary

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The past week in twinBASIC development saw interesting discussions around error handling, interface implementations, and a development update from the project lead. Here's a summary of the key conversations from November 13-18, 2024.

Wayne Phillips announced that the next twinBASIC release will be postponed until the end of the month, promising a polished update worth the wait. This follows a pattern similar to previous major releases that required extended development time.
An interesting bug discussion emerged around the special error code &H800A0000, which behaves differently in VB6/VBA versus twinBASIC. Wayne explained this is related to how VB handles HRESULT translations in the 0x800A range.
A solution was found for Access control integration issues, where turning off 'Use ActiveX Controls' in the references dialog resolved problems with custom control casting and interface implementation.
Developers discussed WebView2 integration, particularly around implementing the WebResourceRequested event handler, with guidance provided on proper implementation using ICoreWebView2WebResourceRequestedEventHandler.
Questions arose about the CType syntax in twinBASIC, with some developers suggesting alternative syntax formats more aligned with traditional BASIC grammar. Wayne indicated openness to considering syntax improvements while noting consistency concerns.

The week's discussions highlight twinBASIC's ongoing evolution and refinement, particularly in areas of COM integration and error handling compatibility with legacy VB applications. The announcement of a delayed but substantial update suggests significant improvements are in the pipeline, maintaining the project's momentum despite the extended development timeline.

Around the Web

Building PhotoDemon with twinBASIC

PhotoDemon is an open-source photo editor–similar to PhotoShop or GIMP–built entirely in VB6.

You may have read here (or on the twinBASIC Discord server) that you can use twinBASIC to build and run this massively complex VB6 application. But how easy is it really?

How about 15 steps in 10 minutes–with most of that time spent downloading source code? Check it out for yourself here:

BASIC Co-Inventor Recently Passed Away

The programming world lost a pioneer this week with the passing of Thomas E. Kurtz, whose work helped shape the evolution of languages like twinBASIC.

As co-inventor of BASIC at Dartmouth College in the 1960s, Kurtz sought to make programming accessible to students without computing backgrounds, creating a language that would influence decades of development. His vision of combining readability with power directly inspired Microsoft's Visual Basic, which became a cornerstone of business application development through the 1990s and early 2000s. This legacy continues today in modern implementations like twinBASIC, which maintains BASIC's approachable syntax while adding contemporary language features.

Hackaday's tribute article explores Kurtz's impact through the lens of developers whose careers began with BASIC, highlighting how his work continues to influence programming language design even today.

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