Note that I could not save a FastBasic file to a floppy disk with Atari DOS on it. Note that the integer version fits within 8k so you could easily make a FastBasic cartridge for use on original hardware as I have previously demonstrated. I think I just need some time to get used to using the editing commands for making code edits. I found the editor to be a little difficult to use and kept wanting to fix code by writing a new line number. It takes a little getting used to, but I can definitely see the potential. I have enjoyed this exercise and am motivated to write more code in FastBasic. End the program by pressing the break key (pause on PC).įifth, for comparison you can boot into Altirra or Atari BASIC and load the program SUM.BAS and RUN. You should see the number 10 which is the result of summing the ten 1s in the array. The code is parsed, interpreted, and then executed. FastBasic Editorįourth, run the program by typing Ctrl-R. The top row shows the filename and what screen line the cursor is on. Once loaded, the program will display in the editor. Type Ctrl-L to load the program SUM.FBA from the ATR file. Third, you are ready to either type in code or load a program. For now, hit Ctrl-N to move on to the editor. Later, we will use Ctrl-L for loading the file and Ctrl-R to execute the code. This summarizes the different commands you can use to edit and interact with your code. Second, you will now see the help screen shown below. You can also select the integer version by typing FBI and hitting enter. From here you can select the floating-point version by typing FB and hitting enter. This will take you to a SpartaDos X prompt (D1:). This will take you to the intro screen shown below. Here are the text files for the code in BASIC and FastBasic for browsing.įirst, download and boot the FastBasic ATR (version 4.4) I have provided in a zip file (newer versions can be found here). You can always create floppies and try it on original hardware as well. I recommend giving this a try in Altirra. I will try to post some additional examples. FastBasic definitely gives the programmer the feel of a modern programming language. FastBasic introduces syntax for creating procedures (see PROC CALCSUM) which can be called using the command EXEC. Third, the BASIC program calls the summation subroutine at line 200. Note that FastBasic provides a nice syntax for creating arrays without a loop (line 4). Second, the BASIC program reads in the 10 values from a data statement and put them in a one-dimensional array. First, there are no line numbers in the FastBasic code. The program I wrote in both languages creates a 10 element array of integers and then calculates and prints the sum of the 10 values. I have prepared a simple example in both BASIC and FastBasic to make it easy to see some of the differences (see figure below). Information about FastBasic can be found on the GitHub along with a manual describing the editor commands and the language syntax. Some features include a modern syntax with no line numbers, more modern control structures such DO and WHILE loops, integrated editor and compiler, cross-compiler for development on a PC, and high-level commands which make procedures such as display list interrupts and player-missile graphics much easier. It is approximately twice as fast as compiled TurboBasicXL. As its name implies, it was designed to be a fast version of BASIC. I decided to give FastBasic a try given it has a number of advantages over the older BASICs.įastBasic was developed by Daniel Serpell or ‘dmsc’ and first released as open-source software in 2017. Among these is FastBasic which is a modern BASIC for the Atari. I have previously posted about the diversity of different BASIC programming languages for the Atari 8-bit computers. Task: Try Programming in FastBasic on an Atari 8-Bit Computer
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