''BASIC Programming'' is an Atari Video Computer System (later called the
Atari 2600
The Atari 2600 is a home video game console developed and produced by Atari, Inc. Released in September 1977 as the Atari Video Computer System (Atari VCS), it popularized microprocessor-based hardware and games stored on swappable ROM cartridg ...
) cartridge that teaches simple computer programming using a dialect of
BASIC
Basic or BASIC may refer to:
Science and technology
* BASIC, a computer programming language
* Basic (chemistry), having the properties of a base
* Basic access authentication, in HTTP
Entertainment
* Basic (film), ''Basic'' (film), a 2003 film
...
. Written by
Warren Robinett
Joseph Warren Robinett Jr. (born December 25, 1951) In the A. Merrill interview, Robinett says he was 26 in November 1977. is an American video game designer. He is most notable as the developer of the Atari 2600's ''Adventure'' and as a founder ...
and released by
Atari, Inc. in 1979, this
BASIC interpreter
A BASIC interpreter is an Interpreter (computing), interpreter that enables users to enter and run programs in the BASIC programming language, language and was, for the first part of the microcomputer era, the default Application software, applica ...
is one of a few non-game cartridges for the console. The Atari VCS's
RAM
Ram, ram, or RAM most commonly refers to:
* A male sheep
* Random-access memory, computer memory
* Ram Trucks, US, since 2009
** List of vehicles named Dodge Ram, trucks and vans
** Ram Pickup, produced by Ram Trucks
Ram, ram, or RAM may also ref ...
size of 128 bytes restricts the possibilities for writing programs.
Details
The ''BASIC Programming'' display is divided into six regions:
* Program is where instructions are typed. It has a maximum of eleven lines of code.
*
Stack
Stack may refer to:
Places
* Stack Island, an island game reserve in Bass Strait, south-eastern Australia, in Tasmania’s Hunter Island Group
* Blue Stack Mountains, in Co. Donegal, Ireland
People
* Stack (surname) (including a list of people ...
shows temporary results of what the program does.
*
Variables
Variable may refer to:
Computer science
* Variable (computer science), a symbolic name associated with a value and whose associated value may be changed
Mathematics
* Variable (mathematics), a symbol that represents a quantity in a mathemat ...
stores the values of any variables that the program is using.
* Output displays any output values that the program creates.
* Status shows the amount of available memory remaining.
* Graphics contains two colored squares that can be manipulated by the program.
Input is given through two Atari keypad controllers, which came with special overlays to show how to type the different commands and letters. Programs are restricted to 64 characters in size and normally 9 lines of code, limiting the programs that can be written (users can disable all windows except Program and keep selecting "New Line" until 11 lines of code are present).
Language features
VCS BASIC supports the following keywords:
* Statements:
Print
* Structure:
Goto,
If-Then-Else
* Graphics:
Clear
* Functions:
Hit,
Key
* Math:
+ - × ÷ Mod
* Relational operators:
< > =
Unlike most BASIC implementations of the time:
* VCS BASIC uses ← instead of = for assignment; e.g.,
A←A+1.
* Statements can be strung together on a line without a delimiter; e.g.,
Note←APrintA.
* An
If statement can be used as a function, returning a value:
Mod292
*
If statements can take an
Else clause.
Special variable names:
*
Note sounds a musical note, assigned numbers from 0 to 7
** Numbers assigned to
Note are implicitly assigned modulus 8, thus 8 becomes 0, 9 becomes 1, etc.
*
Hor1,
Hor2 - the horizontal coordinate of one of two squares
*
Ver1,
Ver2 - the vertical coordinate of one of two squares
The language supports 26 unsigned integer variables A to Z. VCS BASIC supports integers from 0 to 99. Math operations wrap, so 99+1 becomes 0, 99+2 becomes 1, etc.
Sample code
The following example of a ''
Pong
''Pong'' is a 1972 sports video game developed and published by Atari for arcades. It is one of the earliest arcade video games; it was created by Allan Alcorn as a training exercise assigned to him by Atari co-founder Nolan Bushnell, but B ...
'' game is provided.
See also
*
List of Atari 2600 games
The Atari 2600 is a home video game console released in September 1977. Sears licensed the console and many games from Atari, Inc., selling them under different names. Three cartridges were Sears exclusives.
The list contains
games, divided in ...
*
Spectravideo CompuMate
*
Family BASIC
is a consumer product for programming on the Family Computer video game console. ''Family BASIC'' was launched on June 21, 1984, to consumers in Japan by Nintendo, in cooperation with Hudson Soft and Sharp Corporation. A second version titled ' ...
References
External links
*
*
{{BASIC
1979 software
Atari 2600
BASIC interpreters
BASIC programming language family
Discontinued BASICs
Video game development software