<s>
RapidQ	B-Language
(	O
also	O
known	O
as	O
Rapid-Q	O
)	O
is	O
a	O
free	B-License
,	O
cross-platform	B-Operating_System
,	O
semi-object-oriented	O
dialect	O
of	O
the	O
BASIC	B-Language
programming	I-Language
language	I-Language
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
can	O
create	O
console	B-Device
,	O
graphical	B-Application
user	I-Application
interface	I-Application
,	O
and	O
Common	B-Language
Gateway	I-Language
Interface	I-Language
applications	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
integrated	B-Application
development	I-Application
environment	I-Application
includes	O
a	O
drag-and-drop	O
form	O
designer	O
,	O
syntax	O
highlighting	O
,	O
and	O
single-button	O
compilation	B-Language
.	O
</s>
<s>
Versions	O
are	O
available	O
for	O
Microsoft	B-Application
Windows	I-Application
,	O
Linux	B-Application
,	O
Solaris	B-Application
,	O
and	O
HP-UX	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Additional	O
functionality	O
not	O
normally	O
seen	O
in	O
BASIC	B-Language
languages	I-Language
are	O
function	O
callbacks	O
and	O
primitive	O
object-orientation	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
language	O
is	O
called	O
semi-object-oriented	O
by	O
its	O
author	O
because	O
there	O
are	O
only	O
two	O
levels	O
of	O
the	O
class	O
hierarchy	O
:	O
built-in	O
classes	O
,	O
and	O
user-defined	O
classes	O
derived	O
from	O
those	O
;	O
the	O
latter	O
cannot	O
be	O
extended	O
further	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
ability	O
to	O
call	B-Operating_System
external	O
shared	O
libraries	B-Library
is	O
available	O
,	O
thus	O
giving	O
full	O
access	O
to	O
the	O
underlying	O
operating	B-General_Concept
system	I-General_Concept
's	O
application	B-Application
program	I-Application
interface	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Other	O
capabilities	O
include	O
built-in	O
interfaces	O
to	O
DirectX	B-Application
and	O
MySQL	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
RapidQ	B-Language
features	O
a	O
bytecode	O
compiler	B-Language
that	O
produces	O
standalone	O
executables	B-Application
by	O
binding	O
the	O
generated	O
bytecode	O
with	O
the	O
interpreter	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
No	O
external	O
run	B-Library
time	I-Library
libraries	B-Library
are	O
needed	O
;	O
the	O
bytecode	O
interpreter	B-Application
is	O
self-contained	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
file	O
sizes	O
of	O
executable	B-Application
files	I-Application
created	O
by	O
RapidQ	B-Language
are	O
about	O
150	O
kilobytes	O
or	O
larger	O
for	O
console	B-Device
applications	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
RapidQ	B-Language
's	O
author	O
,	O
William	O
Yu	O
,	O
sold	O
the	O
source	O
code	O
to	O
REAL	B-Application
Software	I-Application
,	O
the	O
makers	O
of	O
REALbasic	B-Application
,	O
in	O
2000	O
.	O
</s>
