I use FB because it has the best combination of power (the ability to do just about anything you want), ease of programming, speed and compactness I've come across; not the mention its superlative debugger.

Robin Craig /Genesearch Pty Ltd / Australia

I started programming using Applesoft, and eventually migrated to FutureBASIC 1.02.
What I like about FB is the intuitive feel of the language. In other words writing a program is more like composing text than constructing a mathematical equation. I also like the full access to the toolbox, and the editor, especially the FB^3 editor is great.

Ian Mann

My downfall was Pong! That started computer based games and I was hooked. The problem with gaming is you want more, bigger, faster, cooler games and jump from game to game looking for the holy grail of games. I took up programming my own games and stopped playing others. I found much more joy in making my own even if they were not on the par of commercial games. I think it's like playing chess, you have to have a strategy, you have to think many moves ahead, and it's always a challenge. The twist is, unlike chess, the game of programming always changes depending on what you are programming. This keeps it fresh and I never get bored with it. I have written other types of applications and utilities but I enjoy making games.

Craig Hoyt / Aztech Professional On-Site Service

FutureBASIC has an easy learning curve but without restricting you from producing fast and powerful Macintosh applications of virtually any type. I like the style of the editor, the speed of the compiler and the wry sense of humour that is embedded within the documentation and indeed pops up occasionally within the program. Staz also an impressive track record for support and producing effective and stable products.

Andy Pritchard / Software Author - Etchelon Tracer / http://website.lineone.net/~andy.pritchard

Having "dabbled" with virtually every programming language ever presented for Macintosh, I stopped "dabbling" and "started producing" when I encountered FutureBASICII. Though I had produced shells and minor programs in all of these languages, I was tired of Initialising ToolBox routines and having to create my own Event Loops, etc. The FBII Runtime handled just what I wanted to have handled for me. It let me code the way I would like to code, possessing all the features of any other language I've tried. It also provided a wealth of "great examples"; AND, last of all, when I really got in a bind, there was a real live human(?) being at the other end of the phone or an e-Mail.

Plus the price has always been "right"! Of course, the FB List is a great additional feature that will continue to keep me loyal to the FB concept. With the advent of the Power Mac, FBII continued to work well enough, but now, with the "unleashing" of FB^3, watch out! Open Source Code - Unbelievable! Don't like the way some part of the Runtime works; OK, change it!

Joe Lewis Wilkins / Architect

I use FutureBASIC because Microsoft stopped making QuickBASIC for the Macintosh and FutureBASIC has a better interface. I use it to make utility programs that scan the computer for system information and then display it to you and also a program that gives you a window that says "Are you sure you want to shutdown your Macintosh?" and then three buttons Restart, Shutdown and Cancel. I use FutureBASIC because it is very easy to understand compared to many other languages. I don't understand visual programming or C++.

Brian

First, FB is a top-notch development language. It's a powerful as C, but as readable as BASIC. There is nothing that I do -- with over 20 years of programming experience -- that is out of the reach of FB.
Second, FB is great teaching language. It's a rare environment that is easily learned, but continues to provide more scope and depth as it matches the student's development.