Using Basic

ok you professionals, have a good hard laugh. Qbasic in the 21st century? All I know is there must be thousands like me, intrigued by programming but with a life-sucking job. Qbasic is free, and you can play with it, and this book is the best introduction I have discovered, written with intelligence. I looked at three other books before I found out how to read any type of file using Qbasic--the other books all patted you on the head with "you don't need to know that, you're just a beginner". Good job, authors!