Change in computers as a hobbiest... 2858

I think it depends on what you mean by "supply" and "development language".

1. Windows-2000 and Windows-XP include a scripting engine that allows "batch files" to be written in VB Script or JScript. Whilst it has "limited" GUI function, it is just as powerfull as any of "Basics" that were previously available.

2. Most of Microsoft applications (Word, Excel, PowerPoint) include a "cut down" Visual Basic (VB for Applications) which again makes customizing these applications easy. (It also make it easy to write a virus but thats another story).

3. The Windows-2000 resource kit (not sure about the XP one) include implementations of Perl and REXX

4. Whilst M$ don't supply it as bundled in, Visual Basic has been wideley available at low cost for the platform for a number of years, and to my mind is one reason for its domimance of the desktop. You can "knock up" quite comlex GUI programs in a really short period of time, as VB takes the much of the grind away from writing "windows" (message switch) programs. As a result there are a large number of "easy to use" programs freely available for download. At present M$ has the "Express" edition available for free download. See:-

So I think they do pretty well. I still don't think there is a Linux tool that makes producing code for X anything like as easy as VB does for windows.