Category:Atari BASIC
This programming language may be used to instruct a computer to perform a task.
| Execution method: | Interpreted |
|---|---|
| Lang tag(s): | basic,ataribasic |
| See Also: |
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Atari BASIC refers to the BASIC that shipped with Atari 8-bit micros. Revision A was released on cartridge for early models like the Atari 400 and 800 (1979), while revision B was included in ROM on later models such as the 800XL (1983). (Revision A is considered superior because revision B has more bugs!) Revision C was released on cartridge to address the bugs introduced in revision B. It was also in ROM on later 800XL computers and the XE range.
Emulators for Atari 8-bit computers include:
Downloading the original Atari ROMs is not necessary for Atari800 or Altirra because they include the open source Altirra ROMs, which also feature Altirra BASIC, a fully compatible replacement for Atari BASIC. Altirra BASIC and OS are also better optimized than the original Atari ROMs; especially FOR loops and floating point functions are much quicker.
To start Atari800 in BASIC mode, run it as atari800 -basic. Some important keys in Atari800 are F1=Settings, F5=Reset, F7=Break, F9=Quit, F10=Screenshot; see DOC/USAGE for more. Lowercase characters in strings can be entered by first pressing Caps Lock in Atari800.
In Atari800, folders on the host computer can be mounted in Emulator Configuration ⇨ Host Device Settings, so then you can e.g. use LOAD "H1:MYPROG.BAS" to load a program from local disk. By default, folders are mounted read-only.
BASIC programs in tokenized form are loaded and saved with LOAD and SAVE; in ASCII/ATASCII format you load them with ENTER and save them with LIST, e.g. LIST “H1:PROGRAM.LST”.
After 9 minutes of inactivity, a screen saver (called attract mode by Atari) will activate and cycle colors. This can be stopped by an occasional POKE 77,0 to reset the timer.
Like in Palo Alto Tiny BASIC, commands can be abbreviated by their first (unique) letters and a period, e.g. L. for LIST or GR. for GRAPHICS.
See Also
- Atari BASIC in Wikipedia
Pages in category "Atari BASIC"
The following 21 pages are in this category, out of 21 total.