SBASIC
Encyclopedia
SBASIC was a "structured" BASIC
variant, distributed with Kaypro
CP/M
systems. It was made by Topaz Programming is distributed by Micro-Ap (San Ramon, CA).
SBasic was compatible with the syntax of Basic, a programming language commonly used in the 1970s through the 1980s, as well as Fortran77. However, the language relaxed many of the requirements of Basic and had more flexibility than Fortran. For instance, line numbers were optional, and permitted non-numeric characters. In addition, SBasic offered developers structured programming concepts, including recursion and nesting. Many PL-1 programs could be compiled with little modification, though SBasic did not offer an extensive function library.
Among the more advanced features was the ability to "base" a variable or array, making the memory location dynamic and modifiable during execution. SBasic programs had the ability to access memory areas reserved for the operating system unless prohibited from doing so by the operating system itself. (Note: KayPro distributed CP/M as the operating system which had no such prohibitions.) This enabled direct utilization and modification of DMA and other memory areas. This feature also permitted a program to modify itself at run-time. This capability also allowed modifying the instruction pointer, so a program could effectively link other executable modules that were read during execution as data.
Unlike Basic interpreters that stored "p-code" that was parsed by an execution module, SBasic was a two-pass compiler, ultimately producing .com files that were executable. The language was written in a subset of itself and compiled using a .com kernel, then stored on diskette (or hard drive on the last KayPro model). The source was distributed with some KayPro models. This encouraged open-source-like modification of the language, with some early pre-Internet user groups exchanging physical diskettes by regular mail.
Not to be confused with the namesake SBasic (S for Spectral Basic) Programming Language for the commercial Spectral UV-Visible software.
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....
variant, distributed with Kaypro
Kaypro
Kaypro Corporation, commonly called Kaypro, was an American home/personal computer manufacturer of the 1980s. The company was founded by Non-Linear Systems to develop computers to compete with the then-popular Osborne 1 portable microcomputer...
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...
systems. It was made by Topaz Programming is distributed by Micro-Ap (San Ramon, CA).
SBasic was compatible with the syntax of Basic, a programming language commonly used in the 1970s through the 1980s, as well as Fortran77. However, the language relaxed many of the requirements of Basic and had more flexibility than Fortran. For instance, line numbers were optional, and permitted non-numeric characters. In addition, SBasic offered developers structured programming concepts, including recursion and nesting. Many PL-1 programs could be compiled with little modification, though SBasic did not offer an extensive function library.
Among the more advanced features was the ability to "base" a variable or array, making the memory location dynamic and modifiable during execution. SBasic programs had the ability to access memory areas reserved for the operating system unless prohibited from doing so by the operating system itself. (Note: KayPro distributed CP/M as the operating system which had no such prohibitions.) This enabled direct utilization and modification of DMA and other memory areas. This feature also permitted a program to modify itself at run-time. This capability also allowed modifying the instruction pointer, so a program could effectively link other executable modules that were read during execution as data.
Unlike Basic interpreters that stored "p-code" that was parsed by an execution module, SBasic was a two-pass compiler, ultimately producing .com files that were executable. The language was written in a subset of itself and compiled using a .com kernel, then stored on diskette (or hard drive on the last KayPro model). The source was distributed with some KayPro models. This encouraged open-source-like modification of the language, with some early pre-Internet user groups exchanging physical diskettes by regular mail.
Not to be confused with the namesake SBasic (S for Spectral Basic) Programming Language for the commercial Spectral UV-Visible software.