Atari ST BASIC (or ST Basic) was the first dialect of BASIC that was produced for the Atari ST line of computers. It was bundled with all new STs in the early years of the ST's lifespan, and quickly became the standard BASIC for that platform. However, many users disliked it, and improved dialects of BASIC quickly came out to replace it. A dialect of a programming language is a (relatively small) variation or extension of the language that does not change its intrinsic nature. ... BASIC (Beginners All-purpose Symbolic Instruction Code) is a family of high-level programming languages. ... The Atari 520ST Atari 1040STF with SC1224 color monitor The Atari ST is a home/personal computer that was commercially popular from 1985 to the early 1990s. ...

Origins

Atari commissioned MetaComCo to write a version of BASIC that would take advantage of the GEM environment on the Atari ST. The result was ST BASIC written by Dr. Tim King. At the time the ST was launched, ST BASIC was bundled with all new STs. For the concept Atari (当たり) in the board game of Go, see Atari (go term). ... MetaComCo was a company started in 1984 and based in Bristol, England. ... GEM 1. ...

Appearance on screen

The user interface consisted of four windows. An edit-window in which one could enter the source code, a list-window where the entire source code could be browsed, a command/debug-window where instructions were entered that were immediately executed, and the output-window. The user interface is the part of a system exposed to users. ... An example of a graphical user interface in Windows XP, with the My Music window displayed A window is a visual area, usually rectangular in shape, containing some kind of user interface, displaying the output of and allowing input for one of a number of simultaneously running computer processes. ... Source code (commonly just source or code) is any series of statements written in some human-readable computer programming language. ... Debugging is a methodical process of finding and reducing the number of bugs, or defects, in a computer program or a piece of electronic hardware thus making it behave as expected. ...

However, the windows could only be selected with the mouse and on a high resolution desktop, this became cumbersome. Operating a mechanical 1: Pulling the mouse turns the ball. ... A desktop is the horizontal surface of a desk. ...

The use of ST BASIC

As it came standard with many early STs for several years, it rapidly became the standard BASIC for the ST. If a computer magazine was to publish some code, or if someone was to distribute a BASIC file, then using ST BASIC would maximise the number of people who could run the program. Computer magazines are about computers and related subjects, such as networking and the Internet. ... A computer file is a collection of information that is stored in a computer system and can be identified and referenced in its entirety by a unique name. ...

However, many people found it inadequate for their needs. Although many people who had just upgraded from an 8-bit home computer found it to be faster than the BASIC for their old computer, and were impressed with the ST's graphical abilities, and the ability to have the program's output display in a different window than the program-listing, they soon realised that not only did it contain several bugs, but that once other BASICs started to come out on the ST, they realised just how slow ST BASIC was, and that the use of GEM was more of a hindrance once the novelty wore off (the fact that GEM on the ST was limited to four windows and that the ST BASIC interface already used four windows did not help). 8-bit refers to the number of bits used in the data bus of a computer. ... TRS-80 Color Computer II The home computer is a consumer-friendly word for the second generation of microcomputers (the technical term that was previously used), entering the market in 1977 and becoming common during the 1980s. ...

Alternatives to ST BASIC

The relatively low quality of ST BASIC quickly opened up a market for third-party BASICs on the ST. FaST BASIC and GfA BASIC were two of the first of these third-party BASICs to be released. As these BASICS were not free, a program written in one of these BASICS could only be listed and run if the user had that BASIC. However, compilers started to appear for these BASICS that produced executable code that could run on all STs, and type in programs became less fashionable, so there was no longer a need for a standard BASIC. By then, HiSoft BASIC, Omikron BASIC and STOS BASIC had appeared. Some of these BASICs even started to be bundled with new STs in the later years. Third party has these meanings: In contract law, a third party is any person other than the two principals (the first party and the second party) who is involved in, or affected by, a contract. ... GFA BASIC is a dialect of the BASIC programming language, by Frank Ostrowski. ... A diagram of the operation of a typical multi-language compiler. ... A type-in program, or just type-in, is a computer program listing printed in a computer magazine or book, meant to be typed in by the reader in order to run the program on a computer. ... The STOS BASIC loading screen STOS BASIC is a dialect of the BASIC programming language implemented on the Atari ST computer. ...

Books

• Understanding Atari ST BASIC Programming — By Tim Knight, copyright 1986, ISBN 0-89588-344-9
• Atari ST BASIC Quick Reference Guide — By Atari, copyright 1986, revision A. {DDB-G22}
• ST BASIC Sourcebook and Tutorial — By Atari, copyright 1986, Revision B. {DDB-G22}

Trivia

ST BASIC became famous for its abundance of bugs. In fact, it was even possible to crash ST BASIC with the following line of code:

 PRINT 75.3 

Sources

• http://www.ntrautanen.fi/marko/sao/stklubi/91/91_03/stoorit/english/basic/basic0.htm
• http://www.tobias-jung.de/colohome/atatrash.htm#stbasic