AlphaBASIC is a computer programming language created by Alpha Microsystems

Alpha Microsystems

Alpha Microsystems is a computer company founded in 1977 by John French, Dick Wilcox and Bob Hitchcock. The first Alpha Micro computer was the S-100 AM-100, based upon the WD16 microprocessor chipset from Western Digital...

 in 1976. The language was written by Alpha Microsystems employees Paul Edelstein, Dick Wilcox and Bob Courier.

Unique Features

AlphaBASIC shares much in common with other BASIC languages. It does offer some fairly unique features such as multi-user orientation, ability to control memory layout of variables (MAP statement), calling of external assembly language subroutines (XCALL statement). The language is designed for developers of vertical market software packages. The compiler

Compiler

A compiler is a computer program that transforms source code written in a programming language into another computer language...

 and runtime system are written in Motorola 68000

Motorola 68000

The Motorola 68000 is a 16/32-bit CISC microprocessor core designed and marketed by Freescale Semiconductor...

 assembly language

Assembly language

An assembly language is a low-level programming language for computers, microprocessors, microcontrollers, and other programmable devices. It implements a symbolic representation of the machine codes and other constants needed to program a given CPU architecture...

, and thus are only able to run on Alpha Microsystems hardware. The compiler emits interpreter code.