Where can I find the latest version of Altirra BASIC?

[ACML]

I think version 1.58 is still the newest one that comes embedded with Altirra 4.1, but I can't find where to get the stand alone 8KB .ROM or .CAR version.

 

[+DjayBee]

5 minutes ago, ACML said:

I think version 1.58 is still the newest one that comes embedded with Altirra 4.1, but I can't find where to get the stand alone 8KB .ROM or .CAR version.

 

Mount it in Altirra

 

 

and save the cartridge to disk.

 

 

 

[reifsnyderb]

I've got a copy handy.  Here it is....

 

atbasic.rom

[+MrFish]

You can also export Altirra's ROM set from the "Tools" menu. The current version of Altirra BASIC will be included.

 

[reifsnyderb]

1 minute ago, MrFish said:

You can also export Altirra's ROM set from the "Tools" menu. The current version of Altirra BASIC will be included.

 

That's where I got it from.  Maybe he isn't using Altirra?

 

Either way, Altirra BASIC's speed is really awesome!

[+MrFish]

I usually have the latest version here too: Serious Computerist - Altirra BASIC

 

[reifsnyderb]

14 minutes ago, MrFish said:

I usually have the latest version here too: Serious Computerist - Altirra BASIC

 

Nice web site!

[Ricky Spanish]

14 minutes ago, reifsnyderb said:

Nice web site!

It is. Also my 'go to' site.

[ACML]

3 hours ago, reifsnyderb said:

I've got a copy handy.  Here it is....

Thank you.  Now I can put it on my Ultimate Cart!

 

[ACML]

3 hours ago, DjayBee said:

Mount it in Altirra

 

 

and save the cartridge to disk.

 

 

 

Thank you too.  Did not know you could extract it from Altirra (Cool).

 

[+DrVenkman]

13 minutes ago, ACML said:

Thank you.  Now I can put it on my Ultimate Cart!

 

I put the then-current version of Altirra BASIC onto an EEPROM and installed it in my 600XL in place of the buggy RevB Atari BASIC it came with.

 

[reifsnyderb]

2 minutes ago, DrVenkman said:

I put the then-current version of Altirra BASIC onto an EEPROM and installed it in my 600XL in place of the buggy RevB Atari BASIC it came with.

 

I've started putting Altirra BASIC in all of my Atari's....except my original.   🙂

[ACML]

13 hours ago, DrVenkman said:

I put the then-current version of Altirra BASIC onto an EEPROM and installed it in my 600XL in place of the buggy RevB Atari BASIC it came with.

 

Can you use two 2732A EPROMs and replace the two 4KB ROMs in a socketed BASIC rev A brown cartridge?

 

[ACML]

The hugest improvements to me about Altirra BASIC is that it is Atari BASIC compatible and has an IF/THEN/ELSE/ENDIF function added.  The latter most likely lost out due to the 8K maximum, but boy, having that IF/THEN/ELSE would have been huge BITD.

 

 

Edited June 3 by ACML

[ACML]

On 6/2/2023 at 5:13 PM, reifsnyderb said:

Either way, Altirra BASIC's speed is really awesome!

Just realizing how much faster Altirra BASIC is compared to Atari Rev C.  Even using same OEM floating point routines, Altirra executes so much faster.  I guess Avery totally optimized the interpreter.  Simply amazing!  I love that he found room to add the IF/THEN/ELSE/ENDIF capability.  I know the size constraints don't allow for adding, but the two missing things in Atari BASIC left are either a DO/WHILE or DO/UNTIL and the ability to have multi dimensional string arrays.  Is that what the Extended version of Altirra BASIC does?

  

Edited June 6 by ACML

[adam242]

I'm running Altirra BASIC in my custom XE remake. Couldn't be happier. The speed and new graphics commands are a joy. I can still play around with Turbo BASIC when I want to, and for anything requiring Atari BASIC, there's always a cartridge.

[Faicuai]

On 6/3/2023 at 11:07 AM, ACML said:

The hugest improvements to me about Altirra BASIC is that it is Atari BASIC compatible and has an IF/THEN/ELSE/ENDIF function added.  The latter most likely lost out due to the 8K maximum, but boy, having that IF/THEN/ELSE would have been huge BITD.

 

 

Tiny 8K Altirra Basic is an actual tour-de-force on the A8-platform, and the code-packed-like-sardines department. It has no match, and interestingly, it works BEST with AltirraOS Math Pack (seems both optimized for each other).

 

Here's Altirra Basic (on the LEFT screen, both driven by the 800) scoring above 780+ on Vulcan (my Basic-language test suite, which will unearth a good deal of optimizations implemented in any Interpreter / compiler):

 

 

Interestingly, when swapping out ROM math pack for Newell's, execution time climbs a bit to 84 and score is 749 (not shown here).

 

But if you want to know who's King, well, that will be Altirra Basic Extended (v1.5), ONLY rom-based interpreter I know capable of scoring over 1,000 in Vulcan:

 

 

And here's Atari Basic, without and with Fast Math rom (I can't recall if I tested Altirra's or Newell's math packs). In any case, notice how far behind it sits (please ignore the IIe Platinum lurking in the background):

 

 

All-in-all, absolutely a must-flash / load Basic package in any A8 host you may have around!

 

Enjoy!

 

 

[reifsnyderb]

I've got Altirra BASIC 1.58 running beautifully out of the right cartridge in my 800.  I just hold the Select key on boot-up.   🙂   

 

https://forums.atariage.com/topic/351820-atari-800-right-basic-cartridge/

 

It does require an OS that's been patched to fix that RAM bug, however.

[+Larry]

On 6/2/2023 at 6:48 PM, DrVenkman said:

I put the then-current version of Altirra BASIC onto an EEPROM and installed it in my 600XL in place of the buggy RevB Atari BASIC it came with.

 

Can you reprogram the eeprom in-place?

[reifsnyderb]

1 hour ago, Larry said:

Can you reprogram the eeprom in-place?

No.  You need an eeprom burner.

[ACML]

On 6/2/2023 at 8:48 PM, DrVenkman said:

I put the then-current version of Altirra BASIC onto an EEPROM and installed it in my 600XL in place of the buggy RevB Atari BASIC it came with.

 

Was the EEPROM 24 pin or did you have to use a 24 to 28 pin adaptor?  If it's a simple 24 pin replacement, what is the part number for the 24 pin EEPROM?

 

[reifsnyderb]

27 minutes ago, ACML said:

Was the EEPROM 24 pin or did you have to use a 24 to 28 pin adaptor?

 

An option is to swap out the socket for a 28 pin socket and install the pin headers for the jumpers.  The board will also need two traces cut as the board, by default, has two jumper connections made.

 

[mr_gw454]

12 hours ago, Faicuai said:

 

Here's Altirra Basic (on the LEFT screen, both driven by the 800) scoring above 780+ on Vulcan (my Basic-language test suite, which will unearth a good deal of optimizations implemented in any Interpreter / compiler):

 

Is this Vulcan test suite available?  

Thanks!

[+DrVenkman]

3 hours ago, ACML said:

Was the EEPROM 24 pin or did you have to use a 24 to 28 pin adaptor?  If it's a simple 24 pin replacement, what is the part number for the 24 pin EEPROM?

 

I used a 28-pin STi-made M27C64A.

3 hours ago, reifsnyderb said:

An option is to swap out the socket for a 28 pin socket and install the pin headers for the jumpers.  The board will also need two traces cut as the board, by default, has two jumper connections made.

There are 5 pads next to the power diode (? might be an inductor - don’t remember) below the right edge of the PBI connector. Going from left to right, call them 1 - 5. By default, pins 1-2 and 3-4 are connected by traces. Pin 5 is not connected. To replace BASIC with a 28-pin EERPOM, you need to cut those existing traces, then connected pins 2-3 and 4-5. As you can see, on my version of the motherboard, these jumper locations are actually marked in the silkscreen, albeit without explanation. 

 

I simply bridged pad connections with solder in lieu of the header pins you see in @reifsnyderb’s photo. Since I never plan to install a 24-pin mask ROM again, I didn’t feel the need to bother. 

[+DrVenkman]

5 hours ago, Larry said:

Can you reprogram the eeprom in-place?

Nope. There are no header connections on the motherboard, and no way to isolate the chip from the rest of the motherboard components even if there way. I used my TL866-II programmer.