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From: drift@qut.edu.au (Glenn Wallace)
Newsgroups: comp.windows.ms.programmer
Subject: Re: Basic for Windows
Message-ID: <1991Apr27.070342.27964@qut.edu.au>
Date: 27 Apr 91 12:03:42 GMT
References: <1991Apr23.173348.905@bellcore.bellcore.com> <1991Apr24.064821.6810@netcom.COM>
Organization: Queensland University of Technology
Lines: 44

In article <1991Apr24.064821.6810@netcom.COM>, mjb@netcom.COM (Martin Brown) writes:
> On the cover of the April 8, 1991 issue of INFO WORLD, is an article
> stating that MS expects to release "Basic for Windows" (code name Thunder)
> this May.

Wow, am I surprised that anyone knows about this. Thunder was supposed to be
more Top Secret than the Stealth Fighter!

> I also read somewhere (here?), in a veiled article, that a program being
> demoed for a limited audience crashed and burned 3 times.

I would *guess* that was an early beta. I *hear rumours* that the latest
beta is really A1 (even for MS) with good doco, apart from minor screen
layout uglies.

All early beta software crashes and burns. The very early Excel 3 beta
was the same. That's software development.

> Are there any beta testers out there that can comment, without violating
> non-disclosure agreements, etc., about "Basic for Windows"?

People under ND can't even mention its existence, let alone the fact that
they have a copy - I hear. Although, some Beta testers would stick their necks
out to defend it.

A product like this, I am VERY certain, will herald an new era of Win3 apps
from heaps of people. Schoolkids will be using it.

Bill Gates is said to be fond of it, and the choice of Basic for this
Visual system seems a bit historical perhaps?

I think it will have much more success than, for example Actor.
(Nothing against Actor, however.)

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