NorthStar BASIC
Encyclopedia
NorthStar BASIC was a dialect of BASIC
originally provided for use on the NorthStar Horizon
and NorthStar Advantage. The interpreter was written using only Intel 8080
instructions so that it could run also on custom systems. One notable difference with other dialects of BASIC of the time was the array-like way in which strings were addressed. For example A$(13,17) in NorthStar BASIC corresponded to MID$(A$,13,5) in other dialects. This string addressing
technique is analogous to the one used in Fortran
, and was also used in HP-3000 Basic and Atari BASIC
.
Strings were allocated 10 bytes maximum length unless DIMensioned otherwise. It was still possible to use arrays of strings, but these were declared in two or more dimensions, for example DIM B$(10,50) created 11 strings (0-10) of maximum length 50 bytes. Input from the keyboard and output to the console and printers were treated in the same way as reading and writing to data files. Some other differences were that POKE became FILL, PEEK became EXAM, and INSTR became MATCH.
Some other dialects of BASIC were created which were based on and inspired by NorthStar BASIC, such as Bazic (a rewrite of North Star BASIC taking advantage of the faster Zilog Z80
instructions) and Megabasic. Some of these were available for other hardware and operating systems, including Unix
, CP/M
and DOS
.
BASIC
BASIC is a family of general-purpose, high-level programming languages whose design philosophy emphasizes ease of use - the name is an acronym from Beginner's All-purpose Symbolic Instruction Code....
originally provided for use on the NorthStar Horizon
NorthStar Horizon
Introduced in October 1977, the NorthStar Horizon was an 8-bit computer system based on the ZiLOG Z80A microprocessor. It was produced by North Star Computers, and it could be purchased either in kit form or pre-assembled....
and NorthStar Advantage. The interpreter was written using only Intel 8080
Intel 8080
The Intel 8080 was the second 8-bit microprocessor designed and manufactured by Intel and was released in April 1974. It was an extended and enhanced variant of the earlier 8008 design, although without binary compatibility...
instructions so that it could run also on custom systems. One notable difference with other dialects of BASIC of the time was the array-like way in which strings were addressed. For example A$(13,17) in NorthStar BASIC corresponded to MID$(A$,13,5) in other dialects. This string addressing
technique is analogous to the one used in Fortran
Fortran
Fortran is a general-purpose, procedural, imperative programming language that is especially suited to numeric computation and scientific computing...
, and was also used in HP-3000 Basic and Atari BASIC
Atari BASIC
Atari BASIC is a BASIC interpreter for the Atari 8-bit family of 6502-based home computers. The interpreter originally shipped on an 8 KB cartridge; on later XL/XE model computers it was built in, with an option to disable it, and started when the machines were booted with no other cartridges...
.
Strings were allocated 10 bytes maximum length unless DIMensioned otherwise. It was still possible to use arrays of strings, but these were declared in two or more dimensions, for example DIM B$(10,50) created 11 strings (0-10) of maximum length 50 bytes. Input from the keyboard and output to the console and printers were treated in the same way as reading and writing to data files. Some other differences were that POKE became FILL, PEEK became EXAM, and INSTR became MATCH.
Some other dialects of BASIC were created which were based on and inspired by NorthStar BASIC, such as Bazic (a rewrite of North Star BASIC taking advantage of the faster Zilog Z80
Zilog Z80
The Zilog Z80 is an 8-bit microprocessor designed by Zilog and sold from July 1976 onwards. It was widely used both in desktop and embedded computer designs as well as for military purposes...
instructions) and Megabasic. Some of these were available for other hardware and operating systems, including Unix
Unix
Unix is a multitasking, multi-user computer operating system originally developed in 1969 by a group of AT&T employees at Bell Labs, including Ken Thompson, Dennis Ritchie, Brian Kernighan, Douglas McIlroy, and Joe Ossanna...
, CP/M
CP/M
CP/M was a mass-market operating system created for Intel 8080/85 based microcomputers by Gary Kildall of Digital Research, Inc...
and DOS
DOS
DOS, short for "Disk Operating System", is an acronym for several closely related operating systems that dominated the IBM PC compatible market between 1981 and 1995, or until about 2000 if one includes the partially DOS-based Microsoft Windows versions 95, 98, and Millennium Edition.Related...
.