Well, if you're going to comment on the code, it's worth pointing out that you could probably manage arithmetic of that level with a spreadsheet without too much trouble.

It would also be a snap to rewrite all that in Python, Pascal not being especially useful these days.

eL,

Thank you for your help. When I tried to run the program I get a message that it is not compatible with the version of Windows I am running.

Windows Home Premium
6.1.7600 Build 7600
x64
Pentium Dual Core CPU T4400@ 2.20 Ghz, 2200 Mhz
2 Core(s), 2 Logical Processors

Davros wrote:

My god if i was your teacher and you handed that in as an assignment I would beat you to death with a rubber chicken :D […]
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My god if i was your teacher and you handed that in as an assignment I would beat you to death with a rubber chicken 😁

why ?
1: comment you work
2: break it up into procedures
3: use meaningful variable names

I think you were referring to me but not sure as you did not formally address anybody. I think you meant well, but at the age of 70 I have no interest in learning how to write computer programs.

If you meant that for me all I can say is remember back to the first time you learned a language and the first programs you ever wrote. I never had a teacher and have never written any programs since, nor do I have any interest in doing so.

This was not something I had to do, but I wanted to see if I could do it. I had the gumption to spend the money and time to to reach a goal on my own without anyone cracking a whip and no promise of gain as a reward for my work. I used names that I could keep track of easily or were familiar to me. These programs were for my own use, meant to perform jobs I had to do by hand before programmable calculators and computers. I had a goal and I reached it, all by myself.

I had no teacher, just a book, and nobody to confer with regarding what I was doing. Others have since benefited from the programs as I have made them available for free and they don't know or care about my lack of experience or expertise in programming.

I have since figured a way to accomplish the same task quicker using data supplied by the foremost software in the field so I no longer use the programs but others who run scared when it comes to anything having to do with numbers want to use the programs, that is why I am trying to get them to run on newer systems. This is not for myself.

I am sincerely thankful for all of the help that has been given to my project.

Bob

try running it under dosbox
http://www.dosbox.com/

or you could try compiling it with free pascal there is a 64bit version (get the AMD64/x86_64 Windows 64-bit version)
no guarantees but it should create a win7-64 compatable exe

Hi Davros,

Thank you for the information about the free version of Pascal. I have found it but before I download it I have a question.

After I download it how do I compile my old program in the Pascal download? Do I have to type in my old program or can I copy and paste the steps and click a button to compile it? (There is only so much time I am willing to allot to something I will never use (I am on dialup, so that adds to the time I would have to take to download the programs) and those who are not willing to do the math using a calculator will probably not want to try to use DosBox.)

It was when I tried to run my program in Dosbox that I got the message it would not run in my version of Windows.

Thanks again for sharing your knowledge.

Bob

you should be able to click on file open and open the solar.pas file then compile it
ps: the program someone compiled for you using turbo pascal 7 will work for all your friends as long as they are not using a 64bit o/s

I went ahead and downloaded the program and it worked just as you have said.

Thank all of you for your help.

Bob

Bob, does this mean that you have everything working OK now? If so, that's great! 😁

As for why the application didn't work in the first place, 64bit win7 drops support for 16-bit applications. The error message that appears may be confusing. Using dosbox would have been the easiest solution.

Yeah, I have recompiled the old program (even made a few changes for esthetic reasons, i.e., line spacing) and it works just as it should.

It took me over 3 hours to download the free program but it was worth it. Guess I'll keep it around in case I get froggy again.

Bob

PS - My eyes are sensitive to light. I appreciate the colors on this site so much that I have made them the colors on my browser.

Glad to hear you sorted out your problem. Nice work.

eL_PuSHeR wrote:

Glad to hear you sorted out your problem. Nice work.

Thanks eL,

That free download made it easy.

Jorpho mentioned Python. Now I am thinking I might try looking into that to see if it would be any easier for writing a program from scratch. Can I get a Windows look with it instead of a DOS Window?

Bob

For what you do, I think visual basic would be a good choice
supports windows (of course) and it is very easy to use and you can develop programs with it very quickly
it does a lot for you
eg: want a scroll bar in your program click on the scollbar button and drag it onto your program
ps: its free
http://www.microsoft.com/express/Downloads/#2 … 10-Visual-Basic

pps: its a big download but im sure if you ask nicely someone from the u.s will volunteer to download it and burn it onto a cd for you you may need to send them a stamp addressed envelope