qbjs.org

What It Is

QBJS, titled “QBasic for the Web,” is currently at version 0.10.5. Its goal is to bring the fun and accessibility of QBasic to the browser. The page presents an online IDE with sections such as Main, Console, Javascript, Files, and Help, and supports selecting main.bas as the main program source file. It is suitable for writing, running, and testing QBasic code directly on the web.

Core Features and Ecosystem

Based on the captured content, QBJS offers an IDE as the default launch mode, along with other Launch Mode options such as Play and Auto. It includes features such as Test, Export, and shareable code links, making it easy to send examples or exercises to others. On the editor side, it supports theme switching, including Default, QBasic, Blackout, QB64, VSCode, Windows Classic, and VSCode Dark, as well as Default/VIM key bindings. It can also remember console visibility and panel state, and supports source encoding conversion from Code Page 437 to UTF, which is useful when working with legacy QBasic code. The language is explicitly QBasic, and the site provides entries for Language Support, Supported Keywords, and Samples, though the captured text does not go into detail about the exact level of compatibility.

Pricing and Openness

The captured text does not show any pricing plans, payment methods, commercial licensing, open-source repository, or license information, so its business model cannot be determined, nor can it be confirmed whether self-hosting is possible. There is also no clear information about an API/SDK, plugin system, or third-party integrations.

Pros, Cons, and Best-Fit Users

The main advantages are that it runs directly in the browser, has a low learning curve, and covers the basics of writing, running, testing, exporting, and sharing code. It is well suited to QBasic beginners, retro programming enthusiasts, teachers demonstrating BASIC syntax, and anyone who needs to quickly reproduce small BASIC programs. The downside is the limited amount of public information: documentation depth, compatibility scope, maintenance model, deployment options, and support channels are all unclear. The version number 0.10.5 also suggests the project may still be at an early stage.

Access from China

The available text alone is not enough to determine the connectivity of qbjs.org from mainland China, and no payment methods are disclosed. If access is unstable, local installations such as QB64 or FreeBASIC, or other JavaScript BASIC interpreters/online runtimes, may be worth considering as alternatives.