Re: Integer BASIC & the IIgs?

[dempson@actrix.gen.nz (David Empson)]

<cshank@freenet.edmonton.ab.ca> wrote:

> Good question. I have often wonder why Prodos reserves a filetype for
> Integer BASIC when it (allegedly) doesn't support it.

Don't forget that the IntBasic file type was allocated way back in the
early days of ProDOS.  In theory, the first version of ProDOS would have
been able to support Integer BASIC programs _if_ Apple had written an
"INTBASIC.SYSTEM", in conjunction with a ROM card that contains Integer
BASIC (or with IntBASIC on the motherboard, as with an original Apple
][).

This would have been difficult with ProDOS 1.1 or later, as ProDOS then
required the language card.  It would still be possible to do a
RAM-based version of IntBASIC, but with substantially less memory than
would be available under DOS 3.3.

In addition, the file type is used if you copy an "I" type file from DOS
3.3 to ProDOS.

> Is there a Prodos-based Integer BASIC compiler or interpreter?

Not for 8-bit Apple IIs, but Byte Works have a product called
"ORCA/Integer BASIC", which is an interpreter that runs under the
ORCA/Shell (or GNO/ME).  It supports a reasonable subset of Integer
BASIC programs (excluding anything which relies on obscure peeks, pokes
or calls).

-- 
David Empson
dempson@actrix.gen.nz
Snail mail: P.O. Box 27-103, Wellington, New Zealand