Original Blog Entry: 1st Part: "Nostalgia" "Old" Basic Language interpreters, programs, Etc.

LANTERN — Sat, 02 Apr 2011 23:41:29 GMT

Let us start here:

http://awsoftware.org/

http://awsoftware.org/ajwfiles/AWSoftware.exe

http://awsoftware.org/ajwfiles/Classic%20Basic%20Games%20v1_0.zip

http://awsoftware.org/ajwfiles/awbasic.zip

http://awsoftware.org/classiccomputing.htm

http://www.atariarchives.org/basicgames/

http://www.atariarchives.org/basicgames/showpage.php?page=i12

http://www.atariarchives.org/basicgames/showpage.php?page=i13

http://www.atariarchives.org/basicgames/showpage.php?page=i14

http://www.michls.de/troedel/bascomp.html

http://awsoftware.org/ajwfiles/

http://www.trs-80.com/wordpress/info-level-2-basic-language/

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There are some program's listing there on one of the links, but they are as picture files they are too small to be of much use, at least for me, so download them and open with a program such as IrfanView they zoom in on the picture file and then you can better see the basic listings.

Irfanview is a very nice freeware picture viewer and printer you can easily find it with Google.

The TRS80 basic interpreter is called Trs-80 Basic.exe

It will load a basic file program listing there called: Autorun.bas

Stop it with the Esc Escape key and then use the File then Open and find another .bas program listing and open it.

You can make your own basic listings with NotePad or with any text editor and then save them as Name .bas, name being the name that you will give to the basic program that you make (Made).

For example using NotePad type:

10 print Hello

Now save that one line as:

Hello.bas

Now open it with the basic interpreter and it will print and show:

Hello

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Easy enough, Right?

Next this will run so fast that you will only see the very end of it:

10 rem Bywater Basic version of 99 Bottles of beer (Bottles.bas)

15 rem See http://www.programmersheaven.com/zone6/cat700/15918.htm

20 rem Philipp Winterberg, http://www.winterbergs.de

30

40 for b=99 to 1 step -1

50 print str$(b) + bottle(s) of beer on the wall,

60 print str$(b) + bottle(s) of beer.

70 print Take one down, pass it around,

80 print str$(b-1) + bottle(s) of beer on the wall. + chr$(13) + chr$(10)

90 next b

99 end

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Use Notepad and save as Bottles.bas then open it with the basic interpreter it runs very very fast only the end shows O.K. rerun it a few times so you can better see it as it runs.

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Maybe a better Basic sample of 99 Bottles of Beer On The Wall:

10 FOR B=99 TO 1 STEP -1

20 GOSUB 100

30 T$=T$+ OF BEER ON THE WALL

40 PRINT T$; , ;T$

50 PRINT TAKE ONE DOWN AND PASS IT AROUND,

60 IF B-1 =0 THEN PRINT NO MORE BOTTLES OF BEER ON THE WALL :GOTO 80

70 GOSUB 200:PRINT OF BEER ON THE WALL

80 PRINT:NEXT

91 PRINT GO TO THE STORE AND BUY SOME MORE, 99 BOTTLES OF BEER ON THE WALL

92 END

100 T$=STR$(B)+ BOTTLE :IF B 1 THEN T$=T$+ S

110 RETURN

200 A=B-1:PRINT STR$(A)+ BOTTLE ;

210 IF A 1 THEN PRINT S ;

220 RETURN

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Also runs very very fast.

There seems to be many ways of doing about the same thing.

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I got those Basic listings from the Internet.

I must say that the programs that come with the interpreter are Trash, but the interpreter is good for learning how to use the basic key words and to make text and numbers programs.

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It is a bad game, but the listing can teach a little stuff, I wonder why those games are so bad, I guess that good programmers sold their games and not gave them away for free.

10 PRINT TAB(34); STARS

20 PRINT TAB(15); CREATIVE COMPUTING MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY

30 PRINT:PRINT:PRINT

100 REM *** STARS - PEOPLE'S COMPUTER CENTER, MENLO PARK, CA

140 REM *** A IS LIMIT ON NUMBER, M IS NUMBER OF GUESSES

150 A=100:M=7

170 INPUT DO YOU WANT INSTRUCTIONS ;A$

190 IF LEFT$(A$,1)= N THEN 280

200 REM *** INSTRUCTIONS ON HOW TO PLAY

210 PRINT I AM THINKING OF A WHOLE NUMBER FROM 1 TO ;A

220 PRINT TRY TO GUESS MY NUMBER. AFTER YOU GUESS, I

230 PRINT WILL TYPE ONE OR MORE STARS (*). THE MORE

240 PRINT STARS I TYPE, THE CLOSER YOU ARE TO MY NUMBER.

250 PRINT ONE STAR (*) MEANS FAR AWAY, SEVEN STARS (*******)

260 PRINT MEANS REALLY CLOSE! YOU GET ;M; GUESSES.

270 REM *** COMPUTER THINKS OF A NUMBER

280 PRINT

290 PRINT

300 X=INT(A*RND(1)+1)

310 PRINT OK, I AM THINKING OF A NUMBER, START GUESSING.

320 REM *** GUESSING BEGINS, HUMAN GETS M GUESSES

330 FOR K=1 TO M

340 PRINT

350 PRINT YOUR GUESS ;

360 INPUT G

370 IF G=X THEN 600

380 D=ABS(G-X)

390 IF D =64 THEN 510

400 IF D =32 THEN 500

410 IF D =16 THEN 490

420 IF D =8 THEN 480

430 IF D =4 THEN 470

440 IF D =2 THEN 460

450 PRINT * ;

460 PRINT * ;

470 PRINT * ;

480 PRINT * ;

490 PRINT * ;

500 PRINT * ;

510 PRINT * ;

520 PRINT

530 NEXT K

540 REM *** DID NOT GUESS IN M GUESSES

550 PRINT

560 PRINT SORRY, THAT'S ;M; GUESSES. THE NUMBER WAS ;X

580 GOTO 650

590 REM *** WE HAVE A WINNER

600 PRINT:FOR N=1 TO 79

610 PRINT * ;

620 NEXT N

630 PRINT:PRINT

640 PRINT YOU GOT IT IN ;K; GUESSES!!! LET'S PLAY AGAIN...

650 GOTO 280

660 END

Save it as:

stars.bas

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