Newbie question about creating my own programs

[BearDown1234]

Hi, I have an Atari XE and I just started experimenting with Atari Basic which came on it. Eventually I would like to save my programs onto cartridges. I looked a little bit in the forums but truth be told I got a little lost. What is the cheapest/easiest way to do that? Can I create the programs on my XE and save them directly to some kind of blank cartridge (like this one? http://www.atarimax.com/flashcart/documentation/)? Or do I have to save to a disk drive and then somehow transfer the data?

 

Again sorry for the n00bness maybe I just need to be directed to a prior thread. Thanks

[Synthpopalooza]

By itself, you can't really save BASIC programs to a cartridge. What you can do, is compile your program into a binary executable, and have that burned into a cartridge, but that is a really complex process.

 

I would highly recommend, if you are learning BASIC, that you pick up TurboBASIC. You can get it here:

 

http://gury.atari8.info/details_software/589.htm

 

It's faster than Atari BASIC, totally compatible, has all sorts of new commands, and a compiler to make it even faster.

[1050]

A major reason you can't use BASIC programs from a cart is because the cart memory region is exactly where the BASIC ROM lives. So you can't use BASIC if you are also using a cartridge, unless the cartridge is BASIC itself as is done with the 400 and 800. These machines don't have built in BASIC so if you want it to use it, you have to plug in the BASIC cartridge and boot it up.

 

Even without this major problem, a BASIC program saved to disk comes from all over the place and needs to be put back there once again. This is not something easily done with a cartridge. A much better approach would be to do your programming in assembler writing the code to run from the cartridge memory area as a block. Which is how game cartridges are done in the first place.

 

Learn BASIC and then learn other languages from your knowledge of BASIC as there is a good deal in common among computer languages. The easiest way to save a BASIC program is to use a disk to save it on - to do the same with a cartridge is a daunting task just to start. While it is technically possible, I've never seen it done. The Atarimax cartridge needs to be programmed with bootable ATR image disks made on the Windows platform, and then made into a real floppy disk via APE or SIO2PC and then booted on the Atari with the cartridge plugged in. Not exactly a direct line kind of thing, but entirely possible if you like using almost every single toy available for the Atari. But yes, you would take the data stored on the disk as a .bas file and put that data on the cartridge and while this is possible with the Atarimax it is NOT supported for doing this - you would be on your own to write that software that does the programing, probably not possible using BASIC. The first book you should get is Mapping the Atari by Ian Chadwick, you'll find lots of information in there about memory layout with a good deal of BASIC programming examples. There are two versions, the XL/XE version has added on appendices covering the differences since the 800 came out which was the first version. The first 180 pages of both versions are identical in every way, ALL the XL/XE information is after that.

 

Don't worry at all about noobness questions, in fact ask more as you are the future. You will need to learn much.

[russg]

Hi, I have an Atari XE and I just started experimenting with Atari Basic which came on it. Eventually I would like to save my programs onto cartridges. I looked a little bit in the forums but truth be told I got a little lost. What is the cheapest/easiest way to do that? Can I create the programs on my XE and save them directly to some kind of blank cartridge (like this one? http://www.atarimax..../documentation/)? Or do I have to save to a disk drive and then somehow transfer the data?

 

Again sorry for the n00bness maybe I just need to be directed to a prior thread. Thanks

Nope, can't readily SAVE Atari BASIC programs to cartridge. Could write it, compile it to a binary load and then burn it to cartridge.

Someone suggested Mapping the Atari. That's a good one. I don't know about player-missile graphics, Maybe De-Re Atari. I started Atari BASIC with 'Your Atari Computer' by Poole and McNiff. It has a section with all the

Atari BASIC reserve words and code examples. You can find the books in the A8 books torrent. But reading a book on a pdf isn't very comfortable. Better to buy the books.

Writing games is often done with Assembler, like Mac65. That requires a different book, like 'The Atari Assembler' by Inman and Inman. That would be a beginner's assembler book. You'd require a macro

assembler for more advanced assembler. Oh, Turbo BASIC has PMG support and you can write games with it. I don't know where you'd get documentation on Turbo BASIC.

Edited August 9, 2013 by russg

[toad]

Hi, I have an Atari XE and I just started experimenting with Atari Basic which came on it. Eventually I would like to save my programs onto cartridges. I looked a little bit in the forums but truth be told I got a little lost. What is the cheapest/easiest way to do that? Can I create the programs on my XE and save them directly to some kind of blank cartridge (like this one? http://www.atarimax..../documentation/)? Or do I have to save to a disk drive and then somehow transfer the data?

 

Again sorry for the n00bness maybe I just need to be directed to a prior thread. Thanks

 

As others have already mentioned, what is saved to a cartridge is a binary executable, not a basic listing.

 

Then, if you are interested in making that into a cartridge, you'll need the cartridge hardware. I have never used this service, but I googled around and found this:

 

http://www.grandideastudio.com/portfolio/pixels-past/

 

Now you also find in google searches where someone just grabbed an old atari cartridge, burned an eprom and placed it on the cartridge

 

http://www.insentricity.com/a.cl/200/A800-2764

 

Now - I'll have to let someone more expert talk about this, because I have never bothered to try this - as I'm happy using disks.

 

But....see in the comments of the last, it said if he had just got a 2564 eprom, he would have had even less work to do.

 

My thought, is that more or less the process for you would be - 1. use turbo basic to create your program. 2. compile that to a binary. 3. burn the binary to an eprom using an eprom programmer. 4. jam the eprom in an old cartridge.

 

 

Everyone does that sound about right?

Edited August 9, 2013 by toad

[BearDown1234]

Wow, thanks for the extremely useful tips everyone. For now I think I may avoid the cartridge but perhaps in the future I would still like to try it so I'll keep this topic saved in my history.

 

So normally, really it's saving to disk or to cassette, correct? Is there an advantage of using one or the other?

Thanks again

[danwinslow]

Disk is a LOT faster and easier. You don't want to use cassette if you can help it. Plus now-a-days you can hook up your atari to the disk on a PC if you'd like ( requires a special adapter ) for even easier access.

[pixelmischief]

"It's dangerous to go alone. Here, take this." - Old Man In the Cave

[Synthpopalooza]

My thought, is that more or less the process for you would be - 1. use turbo basic to create your program. 2. compile that to a binary. 3. burn the binary to an eprom using an eprom programmer. 4. jam the eprom in an old cartridge.

 

 

Everyone does that sound about right?

 

Forgot one.

 

Step 2 1/2: Use a linker to make the compiled turbo listing into an executable binary. The compiler just makes a .CTB file which still needs RUNTIME.COM to run, the linker removes this necessity.

[+therealbountybob]

Welcome on-board

 

You could get a disk drive or purchase APE from http://www.atarimax.com/ and then you can use a virtual drive on the PC from the atari (or both!!) You can also use APE to upload/download files to disk or to the Atari

 

For now you can just type something short in and run it and lose it when you power off, still fun! Checkout some of the magazines on atarimania.com or books on atariarchives.org and try and get hold of the 130XE's manual as it has a few nice getting started programs too