Welcome to FreeBASIC

Welcome to our world!  This page is an overview of our online warehouse of 
knowledge.  Enjoy your surfing and we hope this will be the first of many 
visits.

Introduction
   FreeBASIC is a free, BASIC compiler for Windows (32-bit and 64-bit), 32 
   bit protected-mode DOS (COFF executables, like DJGPP), and Linux (x86, 
   x86_64, and ARM).  It is open source and licensed under the GPL. It is 
   designed to be syntax compatible with QuickBASIC, while expanding on the 
   language and capabilities. It can create programs for MS-Windows, DOS 
   and Linux, and is being ported to other platforms. See About FreeBASIC 
   and Main Features.

Latest Version
   FreeBASIC is a beta release compiler and development is ongoing.  With 
   each full update, many features are added, and bugs from previous 
   releases are fixed.  To see the latest version available, visit 
   the News section on the forum.

Requirements and Installation
   Minimum hardware is listed on the Requirements page.  Visit our 
   Installation page for setting up FreeBASIC on your computer.

Running
   FreeBASIC is a compiler and as such is not packaged with an IDE 
   (Integrated Development Editor), although there are a few IDE's 
   available. For information on using FreeBASIC without an IDE, see Running
   .

Compatibility with QuickBASIC
   FreeBASIC is designed to be syntax compatible with QuickBASIC.  For best 
   code-compatibility with QuickBASIC, the QB dialect can be used when 
   compiling source code. See FreeBASIC Dialects and Differences from QB.

Documentation
   All official documentation can be found online in the wiki at 
   https://www.freebasic.net/wiki.  The online documentation is the most 
   up-to-date resource available.  In all cases it can be regarded as the 
   correct version.  The downloadable versions of the manual are snapshots 
   of the documentation available at a particular time and should be mostly 
   correct for a specific released version of the compiler.  However, we do 
   not maintain multiple versions of the documentation so there may be some 
   discrepancies.

Starting points in the Manual
   * Table of Contents
   * Getting Help with FreeBASIC
   * Programmer's Guide

Starting points on the Web
   * Official Website at https://www.freebasic.net
   * Official Forums at https://www.freebasic.net/forum

Thank you for using FreeBASIC.  Happy coding!

