Setting Up QuickBASIC
Actually Using an Older Macintosh
If your Macintosh has an internet connection, it's simple: download the disk images from the 'Downloads' page, and then mount them and copy over the program files to your hard drive. But if your classic Macintosh is like mine, it's no where near the internet. There are a lot of 'ifs' but bear with me.
If you are using a Macintosh, download the disk images, mount them, and write the files to floppy disks (or if your older Mac has a CD-ROM, you can write them to a CD, but that's not recommended.) From there you can use the floppy disks to transfer the files to your older Macintosh.
If you are using a Windows or Linux based PC, you need to download RawWrite for your respective system. After you download that, download the disk images (in this case, they must be the 1.44MB ones, and can only be used with a Mac that has a 1.44MB SuperDrive for a floppy disk drive. Most SEs or newer have these.) Using RawWrite, you can write the disk images to actual floppy disks, and use them on your old Macintosh!
Emulating a Mac Plus
If you don't have an old Mac laying around, or if yours doesn't work, or if you just aren't bothered enough to actually use it (for shame!), then you're going to have to use emulation. If you are running a Macintosh with OS 9, for example, QuickBASIC will run, but if you try to run or compile your own code, it crashes! This method is much more involved than using a real older Macintosh, so be prepared!
Actually, the method is relatively the same on all modern platforms. Go and download Mini vMac
and download the Mac Plus emulator and copy it into a folder of your choosing, and then stop. Here's another legally grey area (like actually having this site isn't?) It's like Catch-22: if you have an older Mac, you can emulate it 'till your heart's content, but if you don't actually have one, you can't emulate one at all. Right about here, I'm going to get on my evangelistic soapbox, and tell you that you should get classic Mac, preferably one of the old compact ones like in the picture above. But if you can't, I'm not going to stop you from downloading the ROM file required for the emulation from a site like mess.slor.net. Scroll down and download MacPlus.ZIP. Unzip the file and put it in the folder with Mini vMac, then rename the ROM file vMac.ROM.
Here's where it diverges. If your modern computer is a Macintosh, all you need to do is create a 20-40MB disk image to use for the emulation. If you use a Windows based PC (I don't actually know what to do for Linux...) then you need to download Alladin Expander and HFVExplorer (look through the top bit with the links to required software, it should be after Alladin Expander.) Install that, and run it. On the File menu, there will be an entry labeled 'Format New Volume.' There, type in a 20-40MB size, and give the Volume a name. Then click the '>>' button after the volume name to tell it where to save (put it in your Mini vMac folder.) Now you're almost set!
Now we're back to where everything's the same on all platforms for your modern computer. Next you need to download the two disk images for System 6.0.8 (1.44MB) from Apple's Older Software Download Page. Download the files named:
SSW_6.0.8-1.4MB_Disk1of2.sea.bin and SSW_6.0.8-1.4MB_Disk2of2.sea.bin.
Use Stuffit Expander to uncompress these files, and voila! The disk images!
Now, open up MinivMac. If all went well, it should come up with a grey screen with a flashing question mark and floppy disk. Drag the first of the two installation disks onto the screen. It should start up like an actual Macintosh. Then drag over the 20-40MB hard disk image you created earlier. Open up the disk icon of the Installation disk, and start the installer. Pretty much, just click easy install. Later on, it will ask for disk two (drag the other installer disk onto the window) and then for the first disk again (same thing as earlier.) Then, close and restart Mini vMac, and drag your hard disk image to the window. It should boot correctly.
Now download the QuickBASIC disk images off of this site and unzip them (doesn't matter whether they are 1.44MB or 800k for this) and drag them onto the Mini vMac window. Copy over their contents to the hard disk icon, and your done! After all that work, you should enjoy QuickBASIC all the more!
(Eventually, you'll find that was all pretty easy to do, just took some lengthy explaining.)
Comments? Write me at: GnomeCoder@macqb.parahosting.net
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