BASIC for XM?

[The Usotsuki]

I suppose my approach is a third approach, since (as I have said elsewhere) I don't want to deal in anything remotely questionable if it's going on a ROM, I'd want to keep it completely on the up-and-up. (And who knows who's got the rights to Atari Basic now, and whether they'd even be willing to let anyone port it legally to the XM. Again...I'm not dealing in grey areas when there's going to have to be money involved - as there will be with ROM, since most people can't build their own 7800 cartridges.)

 

I suppose someone else could probably explain better than I what I have in mind (I've mentioned some of the gories to at least one other person I know frequents AtariAge). I'm thinking of taking the XM and making a "real 80s-style micro" out of it, which means a DOS and a BASIC running on the metal. From the beginning my intention for the DOS would have been to use the FAT file system (fat12, fat16 etc) and use existing SIO devices, some of which, I am led to understand, are low level format compatible with comparable devices on PCs (unlike, say, the Apple ][ disk drives, or the Commodore 1541). (I also believe SD and IDE adaptors for SIO exist, and could be theoretically appropriated for the XM.)

[GroovyBee]

To me, it doesn't matter what approach you take as long as you're having fun and learning new stuff along the way.

[The Usotsuki]

To me, it doesn't matter what approach you take as long as you're having fun and learning new stuff along the way.

This, honestly. And that's part of why I *want* to do something like I described.

[+Gemintronic]

Those without nostalgia will want to compile and edit in a modern way. Those who love nostalgia will want it on the 7800. So, I guess compilers are out (for people willing to commit time to programming)

 

With that criteria the focus should be a runtime method. Make a 7800 + XM extension compatible kernel that reads byte codes (instuctions) and data from the rest of the 7800 cart. Customize Eclipse or Scintilla to handle your dialect of BASIC for the modernists. Make a byte code compiler in a C variant compatible with whatever GroovyBee is using. Profit.

 

There's always going to be two views to this project: Those who get the thrill of programming in BASIC to make games and those who get the thrill of using the 7800 to program in BASIC.

 

I say the runtime approach lets you cater to both views. Get the runtime and PC interface done first. Trying to make an Atari 7800 an Atari XL sounds like a bigger project.

Edited November 5, 2010 by theloon

[GroovyBee]

With that criteria the focus should be a runtime method. Make a 7800 + XM extension compatible kernel that reads byte codes (instuctions) and data from the rest of the 7800 cart. Customize Eclipse or Scintilla to handle your dialect of BASIC for the modernists. Make a byte code compiler in a C variant compatible with whatever GroovyBee is using. Profit.

 

.NET for 7800!

[PacManPlus]

.NET for 7800!

 

 

Oh God - please, don't even *kid* about ruining the 7800 that way.

[The Usotsuki]

xD

 

I guess what it is for me, is that I've seen indications that the keyboard is all but inevitable making the XM a computer in every sense - and that's why I for one wanted to see a 7800 BASIC. But to me, BASIC means the classic, line numbers, interpreted, run-on-the-metal kind like CBM BASIC, Atari BASIC, Applesoft BASIC, MSX BASIC, TRS-80 BASIC etc., not something like QuickBasic or Visual Basic as you people seem to be seeing. (Maybe I'm just old here xD, although I can't imagine at 30 I'm all that old relatively speaking.)

[GroovyBee]

A lot of homebrew development is done on emulators these days with spurts of testing on the real hardware (if you have a multi-cart or like blowing EPROMs). Its the modern way. I don't have a problem with a native XM BASIC but development for it has to be easy. To me, easy means a fast and reliable method of getting data in/out of the emulator and then in/out of the real hardware. Unless you are competent with Windows coding, 6502 assembly and some electronics hardware to bring all the pieces of the jigsaw together its probably a multi-person task in my opinion.

[The Usotsuki]

Yeah. I'm reasonable in 6502 asm but that's about it. :/

 

Some of my ideas were intentionally to make it easier to work with on the PC end.

[+Gemintronic]

Apparently this isn't a new idea..

http://www.classic-games.com/atari7800/wilkinson.html

 

Interesting