Q57582: Why QB 4.50 Language Reference Manual Is Sold Separately

Article: Q57582
Product(s): See article
Version(s): 4.50
Operating System(s): MS-DOS
Keyword(s): ENDUSER | B_BasicCom | mspl13_basic
Last Modified: 12-JAN-1990

This article explains why Microsoft doesn't put a printed copy of the
Language Reference manual in the QuickBASIC Version 4.50 package. This
manual has to be purchased separately.

Microsoft QuickBASIC Versions 2.00, 2.01, 3.00, 4.00, and 4.00b are
packaged with a printed copy of the Language Reference manual.

QuickBASIC Version 4.50 provides the same reference manual as 4.00 and
4.00b, but instead of packaging a printed copy, the reference manual
is stored on disk in the QB Advisor online Help system.

A printed copy of the "Microsoft QuickBASIC 4.5: BASIC Language
Reference" can be purchased separately (in a three-ring binder). The
"Manual Offer" form (in the Version 4.50 disk envelope) states the
following:

   ...Microsoft QuickBASIC provides you with a complete set of
   programming tools, including Microsoft QB Advisor. QB Advisor
   is the most innovative and comprehensive electronic help system
   available, providing you with on-line access to the "BASIC Language
   Reference" manual.

   Microsoft QB Advisor also features hyperlinks that let you
   instantly cross-reference to related topics, a
   scrollable/searchable window that lets you access information as
   you like, and cut and paste commands that let you insert executable
   program examples into your code. You can even print out sections of
   the on-line documentation for a hard-copy reference.

   If you find, however, that you'd like to have the entire Microsoft
   QuickBASIC "BASIC Language Reference" manual in hard-copy format,
   you can order it in a three-ring binder directly from Microsoft....

In QuickBASIC Version 4.50, our goal was to make the product
accessible to the beginning programmer through both ease of use and
low price. A major aspect of this product is its documentation
strategy, where we provide all information that we've ever provided in
the past, but we provide it only once, in its most usable format
possible for the beginner/experimenter. For the language reference
information, we decided that the advantages of fully context-sensitive
help, complete with cut-and-paste examples, was the best way to speed
the programming process.

We opted also to put keystroke-by-keystroke tutorials both on disk and
on paper to help the beginner past every hurdle in writing his or her
first structured BASIC programs.

The tradeoff of a printed reference for an online reference in Version
4.50 unfortunately may not satisfy some users of QuickBASIC,
especially serious developers. However, this tradeoff helps us place
the product at a price level accessible to a wider base of customers,
especially beginning-level customers. As stated earlier, the printed
manual can be purchased separately for those who really want it.

The QuickBASIC product line will continue to be marketed with goals of
affordability, learning ease, and powerful features. The documentation
and pricing strategy for the next potential version of QuickBASIC is
currently being researched. We will gladly listen to your suggestions.

BASIC Professional Development System 7.00
------------------------------------------

Microsoft has listened to and gathered the suggestions from QuickBASIC
and Microsoft BASIC Compiler customers and professional developers,
and we have created a premium BASIC product line:

   Microsoft BASIC Professional Development System (PDS) Version 7.00

Our design philosophy for BASIC PDS 7.00 was simple: if the
professional programmer might want a feature, then add it. We packed
BASIC PDS full of new features, including unprecedented amounts of
technical documentation, both online and in print. BASIC PDS 7.00
includes over 14 megabytes (fully installed) of software and over 2250
pages of printed documentation. In surveys, our professional users
told us that they were willing to pay the cost of supporting a major
BASIC development effort and were certainly willing to pay for
complete and thorough documentation, bound in their favorite type of
binding (three-ring).

Microsoft hopes you find that BASIC PDS 7.00 is a product that gives
you all the documentation you could ever want in every format you
could want. BASIC PDS 7.00 is marketed for professional developers who
want the best BASIC compiler available. (QuickBASIC is a separate,
lower-priced, powerful product for a wider audience.)

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