computer science

QuickC

QuickC is a computer science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand QuickC rather than just read about it. In short: Microsoft QuickC is a discontinued commercial integrated development environment (IDE) product engineered by Microsoft for the C programming language, superseded by Visual C++ Standard Edition. Its main competitor was Borland Turbo C.

Key takeaways

QuickC belongs to computer science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect QuickC to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of QuickC from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Microsoft QuickC is a discontinued commercial integrated development environment (IDE) product engineered by Microsoft for the C programming language, superseded by Visual C++ Standard Edition. Its main competitor was Borland Turbo C. QuickC is one of three Microsoft programming languages with IDEs of this type marketed in the same period, the other two being QuickBasic and QuickPascal. QuickBasic later gave rise to Visual Basic as well as being included without a linker as QBasic in later versions of MS-DOS, replacing GW-BASIC. QuickC is a lineal ancestor of Visual C++. The three Quick language implementations were designed for power users (as opposed to professional developers, whom Microsoft supplied with programming languages in the form of expensive and more comprehensive implementations for the three languages in question as well as C++, Fortran, and Cobol) and educational use; in all three cases their major competitor was Borland with its Turbo compiler series. Microsoft Macro Assembler also competes with Borland's Turbo Assembler QuickC was a real mode target only compiler, with the exception of QuickC for Windows 1.0 which also allowed to compile protected mode programs, but only for Windows.

Version history QuickC 1.0, released in October 1987. It implements the ANSI C standard and is Microsoft C 5.0 compatible. CodeView is also supported. The release had known compatibility issues with WD HDD controllers. QuickC 1.01 QuickC 2.0, released in January 1989. New features included: incremental compiling and linking, improved compilation speed, built-in assembler and support for all memory models. It was Microsoft C 5.1 compatible. QuickC 2.01, released in June 1989. Quick Assembler was included in this release. It was Microsoft Source Profiler compatible. QuickC 2.50, released in May 1990. QuickC 2.51, released in December 1990 (Only available with the bundled Assembler) QuickC for Windows 1.0, released in September 1991. It was the first integrated development environment (IDE) for C on Windows and was also available in a bundle with Microsoft C 6.0 and Windows SDK. The IDE made use of some undocumented Windows API calls. It was still possible to target DOS with this version, but these DOS programs were limited to real mode programs.

See also QuickBASIC - similar development environment for BASIC programming Open Watcom C/C++ - free x86 C/C++/Fortran compiler for DOS, OS/2, Windows, Linux

References

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with QuickC

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what QuickC claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In computer science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to QuickC before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about QuickC ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of QuickC

In research: QuickC appears in computer science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses QuickC in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: QuickC is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1987 software, C (programming language) compilers, DOS software, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for QuickC outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study QuickC in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what QuickC means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain QuickC out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is QuickC in simple terms?

Why does QuickC matter?

Because it connects several computer science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study QuickC?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on QuickC.