Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

FreeBASIC VS Portable C Compiler

Compare FreeBASIC VS Portable C Compiler and see what are their differences

FreeBASIC logo FreeBASIC

FreeBASIC is a completely free, open-source, 32-bit BASIC compiler, with syntax similar to...

Portable C Compiler logo Portable C Compiler

pcc is a C99 compiler which aims to be small, simple, fast and understandable.
  • FreeBASIC Landing page
    Landing page //
    2021-07-23
  • Portable C Compiler Landing page
    Landing page //
    2019-11-06

FreeBASIC features and specs

  • Open Source
    FreeBASIC is open source, which means users can access the source code, contribute to the project, and customize it according to their needs.
  • BASIC Language Support
    FreeBASIC offers support for the BASIC programming language, attracting programmers who prefer or are familiar with this language, while also providing modern programming capabilities.
  • Cross-Platform
    It supports multiple platforms, including Windows, Linux, and DOS, which allows developers to write programs that can run on different operating systems without significant changes.
  • Compatibility
    FreeBASIC is compatible with Microsoft QuickBASIC and other older BASIC dialects, making it easier for developers to port legacy BASIC code.
  • Strong Community
    The FreeBASIC community is active, providing forums, documentation, and support that can be beneficial for both beginners and advanced users.

Possible disadvantages of FreeBASIC

  • Limited Library Support
    Compared to more popular languages like Python or C++, FreeBASIC has fewer libraries and third-party resources, which can limit functionality and ease of development.
  • Learning Curve for Beginners
    Although BASIC is traditionally seen as beginner-friendly, some aspects of FreeBASIC, especially its more advanced features, might present a learning curve.
  • Less Market Demand
    There is less market demand for FreeBASIC developers compared to more mainstream languages, which might limit job prospects for those who specialize in it.
  • Manual Memory Management
    FreeBASIC requires manual memory management, which can lead to potential errors like memory leaks if not handled properly, particularly for new programmers.
  • Outdated Perception
    BASIC languages, including FreeBASIC, sometimes suffer from an outdated perception that might lead to skepticism about its use for modern applications.

Portable C Compiler features and specs

  • Simplicity
    PCC is designed to be simple and easy to understand, making it a good choice for educational purposes and for those learning about compilers.
  • Portability
    As its name suggests, PCC is portable and can be easily adapted to different machine architectures, allowing for broad platform support.
  • Small Size
    PCC has a smaller code base compared to other compilers like GCC, which makes it more lightweight and quicker to compile.
  • Legacy Code Support
    PCC is useful for compiling older C code that may not comply with modern C standards, providing support for legacy systems.

Possible disadvantages of Portable C Compiler

  • Limited Features
    PCC may lack some of the advanced features and optimizations found in more modern compilers like GCC or Clang.
  • Performance
    The performance of code compiled with PCC may not be as optimized as that compiled with other contemporary compilers.
  • Community and Support
    PCC has a smaller community and less active development compared to larger projects, potentially leading to fewer updates and less troubleshooting support.
  • Standard Compliance
    PCC may not fully support the latest C standards, which could be a limitation for projects that need to adhere to modern specifications.

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to FreeBASIC and Portable C Compiler)
IDE
60 60%
40% 40
Programming Language
100 100%
0% 0
Project Management
0 0%
100% 100
Text Editors
64 64%
36% 36

User comments

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Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare FreeBASIC and Portable C Compiler

FreeBASIC Reviews

  1. Jose Galeno
    Can Not to Comapre FREEBASIC is a COMPILER NOT AN IDE

    HAS IDE AS FBEdit, FBNP,WINFBE, VisualFB, etc

    🏁 Competitors: Visual Basic
    👍 Pros:    Compiler|32|64|Windows linux mac|Mingw32 and mingw64|Free to use|Binding to c, c++

Portable C Compiler Reviews

We have no reviews of Portable C Compiler yet.
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Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, FreeBASIC should be more popular than Portable C Compiler. It has been mentiond 5 times since March 2021. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

FreeBASIC mentions (5)

  • Microsoft's Growing Control of Linux
    Outside of Microsoft created QB64: - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/QB64 - https://lunduke.substack.com/p/the-wild-events-that-nearly-took Outside of Microsoft created Visual Basic IDE: - http://gambas.sourceforge.net/en/main.html - https://github.com/wekan/hx/tree/main/prototypes/ui/gambas Outside of Microsoft created FreeBasic: - https://freebasic.net. - Source: Hacker News / almost 3 years ago
  • qb.js: An implementation of QBASIC in Javascript
    If you have linux or windows, you can try freebasic. I believe it has a qbasic compatibility mode. Source: over 3 years ago
  • Ask HN: What are your opinions on modern BASIC dialects?
    Have you looked at https://freebasic.net/ and https://www.qb64.org/portal/ ? It's been ages since I actually wrote code in BASIC, but there do appear to be nice open-source options in the modern world. - Source: Hacker News / over 3 years ago
  • How to compile a BASIC code in linux ?
    I used https://freebasic.net/ ages ago. Works fine. Source: about 4 years ago
  • Blank Projects - Then And Now
    And here you can live though that pain again: https://freebasic.net/. Source: about 4 years ago

Portable C Compiler mentions (2)

  • Hand-optimizing the TCC code generator
    Check PCC [1]. Official release was 2014, but development still active [2]. [1] http://pcc.ludd.ltu.se/. - Source: Hacker News / about 3 years ago
  • Research Unix v7 for Raspberry Pi
    Works for me in qemu, but remember to provide an SD card image as mentioned in the README before you run "make tools/sd.img" - e.g. The one in the releases https://github.com/r1mikey/research-unix-v7/releases/download/v7-unix-pi1-20200212/v7-unix-pi1-20200212.img.xz Otherwise, qemu will start up complaining about a large number of invalid memory accesses. Unfortunately, there is no port of pcc (the portable C... - Source: Hacker News / over 3 years ago

What are some alternatives?

When comparing FreeBASIC and Portable C Compiler, you can also consider the following products

PureBasic - Fantaisie Software Official WebSite. PureBasic - Feel The Pure Power. PureBasic is a programming language based on established BASIC rules.

GNU Compiler Collection - The GNU Compiler Collection (GCC) is a compiler system produced by the GNU Project supporting...

Liberty BASIC - Easy Programming for Windows XP, Vista, Windows 7, 8 and 10

Tiny C Compiler - The Tiny C Compiler is an x86, x86-64 and ARM processor C compiler created by Fabrice Bellard.

Xojo - Real Software and Real Studio are now Xojo.

clang - C, C++, Objective C and Objective C++ front-end for the LLVM compiler.