Re: Hacking on Integer Basic, and ProDOS

[Paul Schlyter <pausch.NO@SPAM.saaf.se>]

In article <NNKdnZiqUq62E_3fRVn-qA@rogers.com>, rg.jones@rogers.com 
says...
>Moll wrote:
....................
>> Yeah, and that's why I mentioned disassembling and reassembling, so as 
>> to make sure it's somewhere else in the memory map (this version does 
>> that, I think - it runs in 48K on DOS 3.3), and to make sure it doesn't 
>> step on ProDOS's ZP globals.
>> 
>> Moll.
>
>So you plan to write a INTEGER.SYSTEM program? which would include the 
>GLU to the MLI + the interpreter?
>Beneath Apple ProDOS addendums might be very helpful to you if havn't 
>got them yet to see what they did for applesoft and mimic that for INTBASIC.
>
>Just curiuos what would be your application of this BASIC?

Application ??????????????????

There's no application for Integer Basic -- just some games, nothing 
more.  If you want applications, get a modern computer and get 
appropriate software for that!  :-)

But perhaps you instead meant to ask:

# Just curiuos what would be your motivation for this BASIC?

Presumably the motivation would be the hack value: no-one has done it
but everyone agrees it can be done, in principle.  Also it's not an
overwhelming task, since Integer Basic is after all only some 6K of 
machine code.

Another approach (instead of porting the existing Integer Basic from
DOS ProDos) would be to rewrite Integer Basic from scratch, i.e. write
a new interpreter which mimics the functionality of the original Integer
Basic but which runs under ProDos (...or Mac OS, or Windows, or Unix, or
any other OS of your choice).

If/when such a port or rewrite is completed, such an Integer Basic 
interpreter would still be of limited use.  Few would write new Basic
programs for it.  And of the old Integer Basic programs, a lot of them 
used peeks/pokes and/or embedded machine language, and there's no
guarantee whatsoever that these parts of those programs would not step 
on the PZ usage pf ProDos.


-- 
Paul Schlyter,  Grev Turegatan 40,  SE-114 38 Stockholm,  SWEDEN
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