Run QBASIC on Android

Author:
ronny2005
Updated:
Jul 7, 2018

QBASIC is a simple programming language. It was made and launched in 1964 by John G. Kemenny and Thomas E. Kurtz. QBASIC is now owned by Microsoft. QBASIC stands for Quick Beginners’ All-purpose Symbolic Instruction Code. It has simple commands like CLS, Input, Print, Let, GOTO, IF…THEN etc. QBASIC has Characterized User Interface (CUI). It is similar to MS-DOS. Almost all the Microsoft OS can run QBASIC.

Android is a Linux-based Mobile Operating System. It is found in many Samsung phones like Samsung Galaxy Series. Nearly all the PC Tabs use Android OS. Android users enjoy many advanced features that are not found in PCs. What if they could create small programs in their phones? Yes, they can by using QBASIC.

But, there is no QBASIC application on Google Play. How will they create programs? It’s simple with aDOSBox. It is an Android DOS Emulator.

Let’s start programming!

- The first thing you will have to do is download aDOSBox (Android DOSbox) to your Android Device. Here is the URL: https://apkpure.com/adosbox/org.hystudio.android.dosbox

- After it is installed, you can open it and explore the app. The font maybe too small, but it is readable. Some phones have small screen, so there might be a problem understanding the texts.

run-qbasic-on-android — aDOSbox Home Screen. Sorry for the bad graphics.

- Now, the final thing you need is the QBASIC application. This is a Windows application, not Android. You might have the QB.EXE or qbasic.exe file on your computer.

- Copy it to your SD Card. Make a folder called “QBASIC” and move the QBASIC application to it.

- Open aDOSbox.

- Type the command ‘CLS’ and press enter.

You’ll be seeing this:

- Then, type the following:

mount d /sdcard/qbasic

- Note that there is a space between d and /

- After that, /sdcard/qbasic will be mounted as local directory.

- Type d:

Scroll to Continue

- You will be taken to D: directory i.e. SD Card. C: is Phone Memory and D: is the SD Card.

- Type the name of the QBASIC application present inside the QBASIC folder. If it’s QB.exe, then type QB.exe and press enter

- After a second or two, the QBASIC screen appears!

You will have to learn how to move mouse pointer yourself. It’s not that difficult. You first need to enable Mouse Emulation feature. When you slide your finger to right, the mouse pointer moves right. Take it to the desired place and press anywhere on the screen to click on the menu or area. My phone screen is small, so the font size is small and the graphics are not clear. However, QBASIC works the same way on your phone as in the computer. You can save programs, run them, change background color, create subs etc. If you want to exit QBASIC, then click on File and then Exit. The experience is amazing in a Tablet.

Check out some screenshots: