PowerBASIC DLL Compiler Accelerates Visual Basic

Carmel, Calif. ---- October 2, 1995 ---- PowerBASIC, Inc. announced
benchmarks for their new PowerBASIC DLL Compiler (PB/DLL) that show Visual
Basic applications running up to 10 times faster with the help of PB/DLL.
This new development tool compiles Basic source into native machine code
DLL's compatible with any programming language for Windows. 

"Visual Basic does a great job with user interfaces ... it's a wonderful
forms generator," explained Robert Zale, President of PowerBASIC, Inc.,
"but, until now, programmers had to put up with slow, p-code performance
in their programs or abandon BASIC altogether to create true executable
DLL's. This is particularly difficult for developers who don't know C++.
Pascal or Assembler. Visual Basic developers can now use PB/DLL to
accelerate portions of their slow interpreted code with lightning fast
machine code DLL's. Our testing shows that a performance gain of 5 to l()
times or even more is possible when the computational parts of Visual
Basic code are compiled into DLL's. The point is ... use VB for what it
does best and use PB/DLL for what it does best ... it's the ultimate
programming team." 

The famous Sieve benchmark has been used for many years to verify intensive
integer calculations. Using standard Visual Basic code. 500 iterations
took 28.67 seconds. The same Visual Basic code compiled into a PowerBASIC
DLL ran in 3.02 seconds, an improvement of 849%. The Long Integer test,
first published by BasicPro Magazine, showed a similar improvement. For
one million iterations. Visual Basic took 7.58 seconds. The same code with
the addition of a PowerBASIC DLL ran in only 1.09 seconds. These tests
were performed using a 90-MHz Pentium cpu. 

PB/DLL includes the PowerBASIC Inline Assembler to help developers further
optimize slow sections of their programs. Assembler code can be intermixed
with BASIC code line-by-line to gain absolute levels of performance. In
fact, the entire PB/DLL compiler was written in assembler to maximize
speed and minimize code size. 

PB/DLL introduces a number of other features to Visual Basic programmers
from the award-winning PowerBASIC compiler. Code Pointers Data Pointers,
and Unions. Array Sort, Scan, Insert, and Delete. Unsigned Byte, Word, and
Double-Word variables, 64-bit integers, extended precision floats, and
currency variables with user-defined precision. Hardware operations like
Peek/Poke, Peek$/Poke$, and Inp/Out. Direct bit operations like Shift and
Rotate, as well as Bit Test. Set, Reset, and Toggle. Even optional
parameters in BASIC Subs and Functions. 

The PB/DLL Compiler will ship early in the fourth quarter of 1995 at a
retail price of $149. For the first 90 days, existing PowerBASIC and
Visual Basic customers can purchase PB/DLL directly from PowerBASIC, Inc.
for $99 with proof of ownership. PB/DLL can be purchased from PowerBASIC,
Inc. by calling (800) 780-7707 or (408) 659-8000, or by FAX at (408)
659-8008. It will also be available from selected programming retailers
and direct marketers. PowerBASIC Inc. is a privately held corporation
based in Carmel, California. 

A white paper, "Improving Visual Basic Performance with the PowerBASIC DLL
Compiler for Windows", is available upon request by calling (408)
659-8000, entering GO PowerBASIC (Section 12 data library) on CompuServe,
info@powerbasic.com on the Internet, and on the PowerBASIC BBS at (408)
659-7401. 

PowerBASIC, Inc. * 316 Mid Valley Center * Carmel, CA 93923
 
 =========================================================
 From the 'New Product News' Electronic News Service on...
 AOL (Keyword = New Products) and Delphi (GO COMP PROD)
 =========================================================
 This information was processed from data provided by the
 company/author mentioned. For additional details, please
 contact them directly at the address/phone# indicated.
 Trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
 =========================================================
 All submissions for this service should be addressed to:
 BAKER ENTERPRISES,  20 Ferro Dr,  Sewell, NJ  08080  USA
 Email: rbakerpc@delphi.com  -or- RBakerPC (on AOL/Delphi)
 =========================================================
