This page (revision-41) was last changed on 03-Feb-2023 15:21 by Roland B. Wassenberg 

This page was created on 23-Dec-2010 08:43 by Carsten Strotmann

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Basic XE
Basic XE

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At line 4 changed one line
Basic XE is the ultimate development of the original [Atari BASIC] code, after it was taken over by Optimized Systems Software (OSS). It was a further expansion of [Basic XL] that made use of the XE machine's extended memory. Like Basic XL, it included a number a features that improved Atari BASIC's notoriously slow performance, added new commands for player/missile graphics and other features, all while remaining backwardly compatible with the original Atari BASIC and running it's programs much faster.
[{TableOfContents }]
At line 6 changed one line
The changes between Basic XE and Basic XL are minor, mostly related to handling the increased RAM capabilities of the XE series. However, it did not include the AUTORUN runtime library found in Basic XL, meaning that programs that used Basic XE's functionality could not run on machines that did not also have a Basic XE cartridge. However, programs that used only the Basic XL extensions could be written in XE and then linked to the XL's AUTORUN runtime library.
!!Background
Basic XE is the ultimate development of the original [Atari BASIC] code, after its development was taken over by Optimized Systems Software (OSS).
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The release of [TURBO-BASIC XL] at roughly the same time as Basic XE meant that Basic XE was largely forgotten in the market. Turbo-Basic had all the features of Basic XE and many more, and also shipped with a compiler that not only made stand-alone programs but ran them dozens of times faster as well.
OSS released [Basic XL] in 1984, adding many new features as well as the FAST command. FAST cached line numbers that were the target of jumps (GOTO and FOR/NEXT loops), addressing one of the two major reasons for the notoriously slow performance of Atari BASIC. The main addition to Basic XE, compared to Basic XL, was a solution to the other big problem in Atari BASIC, the low-performance math code.
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[{TableOfContents }]\\
In Atari BASIC, all numbers are stored in a 6-byte binary-coded-decimal form. This includes line numbers and array indexes. Every time one of these is encountered, the system sends it into the operating system's BCD library, which had extremely poor performance. Basic XE replaced this library with its own, running at over twice the performance of the original code. This had spin-off effects throughout the average program, not only speeding up actual mathematical functions, but also internal functions like looking up line numbers.
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[Basic XE/BasicXE.png]
With that exception, the changes between Basic XE and Basic XL are minor, mostly related to handling the increased RAM capabilities of the XE series. However, Basic XE it did not include the AUTORUN runtime library found in Basic XL, meaning that programs that used Basic XE's new functionality could not run on machines that did not have a Basic XE cartridge. However, programs that used only the Basic XL extensions could be written in Basic XE and then linked to the XL's AUTORUN runtime library.
At line 15 added 2 lines
The release of [Turbo-BASIC XL] at roughly the same time as Basic XE meant that Basic XE was largely forgotten in the market. TURBO-BASIC had all the features of Basic XE and many more, and also shipped with a compiler that not only made stand-alone programs but ran them dozens of times faster as well.
At line 15 changed 3 lines
[BASIC_XE_4.2-1_master_with_DOS_2.0D.atr] ; please use with OSS MAC/65; Yotta-thanks to all who help us here\\
[BASIC_XE_4.2-2_slave_with_DOS_2.0D.atr] ; please use with OSS MAC/65; Yotta-thanks to all who help us here\\
[BASIC_XE_4.2-3_fp_with_DOS_2.5.atr] ; please use with OSS MAC/65; Yotta-thanks to all who help us here\\
* [BASIC_XE_4.2-1_master_with_DOS_2.0D.atr] ; please use with OSS MAC/65; Yotta-thanks to all who help us here\\
* [BASIC_XE_4.2-2_slave_with_DOS_2.0D.atr] ; please use with OSS MAC/65; Yotta-thanks to all who help us here\\
* [BASIC_XE_4.2-3_fp_with_DOS_2.5.atr] ; please use with OSS MAC/65; Yotta-thanks to all who help us here\\
At line 23 changed 2 lines
[Basic XE 4.1.car]\\
[Basic_XE_4.2.car] ; '034M'-version created by a good soul from AtariAge ; thank you so much good soul! :-)))
* [Basic XE 4.1.car]\\
* [Basic_XE_4.2.car] ; '034M'-version created by a good soul from AtariAge ; thank you so much good soul! :-)))
At line 27 changed 2 lines
[BASIC XE 4.1.rom]\\
[OSS Basic XE 7.2 (universal).rom] Should work with SpartaDOS
* [BASIC XE 4.1.rom]\\
* [OSS Basic XE 7.2 (universal).rom] ; should work with SpartaDOS ; this is __not__ an official OSS-, ICD- nor FTe- product ; author unknown
At line 31 changed 3 lines
[Basic_XE_v4.2_(1986-02-09)(Lawrow,_Stephen_D.)(US)(034M).bin] ; '034M'-version created by a good soul from AtariAge ; thank you so much good soul! :-)))\\
[Basic_XE_v4.2_(1986-02-09)(Lawrow,_Stephen_D.)(US)(043M).bin] ; just runs in Altirra with OSS '043M' ; thank you so much Tomasz 'Kr0tki' Krasuski for building the 1st runtime, we owe you so much. :-)))\\
[Basic_XE_v4.2_(1986-02-09)(OSS)(US)(M091).bin] ; 'M091'-version created by Tomasz 'Kr0tki' Krasuski; thank you so much Tomasz 'Kr0tki' Krasuski for building the runtime, we owe you so much. :-)))
* [Basic_XE_v4.2_(1986-02-09)(Lawrow,_Stephen_D.)(US)(034M).bin] ; '034M'-version created by a good soul from AtariAge ; thank you so much good soul! :-)))\\
* [Basic_XE_v4.2_(1986-02-09)(Lawrow,_Stephen_D.)(US)(043M).bin] ; just runs in Altirra with OSS '043M' ; thank you so much Tomasz 'Kr0tki' Krasuski for building the 1st runtime, we owe you so much. :-)))\\
* [Basic_XE_v4.2_(1986-02-09)(OSS)(US)(M091).bin] ; 'M091'-version created by Tomasz 'Kr0tki' Krasuski; thank you so much Tomasz 'Kr0tki' Krasuski for building the runtime, we owe you so much. :-)))
At line 36 changed 2 lines
[BASIC XE Extension Disk.atr]\\
[Some example programs|BXL_BXE_programs.zip] ; thanks to Charlie Chaplin from AtariAge. :-)
* [BASIC XE Extension Disk.atr] ; original BASIC XE Extension Disk, works with with version 4.1
* [BASIC_XE_4.2_Extension_Disk_with_DOS_XL_v2.30p.atr] ; BASIC XE Extension Disk, works with with version 4.2 ; thank you so much drac030 from AtariAge, your work is very much appreciated! :-)
* [Some example programs|BXL_BXE_programs.zip] ; thanks to Charlie Chaplin from AtariAge. :-)
* [Basic XE Detokenizer Ver. 1.11 (4-6-89)|Basic XE Detokenizer Ver. 1.11 (4-6-89) by Psycho.atr]
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!! Manual
!! Manuals
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[xep80bxe.arc] ; this is the driver for the XEP80 to work with OSS BASIC XE (.COM file)\\
[XEP80_BASIC_XE.atr] ; same as above on an atr-image
* [xep80bxe.arc] ; this is the driver for the XEP80 to work with OSS BASIC XE (.COM file)\\
* [XEP80_BASIC_XE.atr] ; same as above on an atr-image
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!!Picture
!!Images
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OSS BASIC XE 4.2 - startscreen
OSS BASIC XE 4.2 - startscreen\\
\\
[{Image src='BasicXE.png' width=200 height=301 }]
OSS BASIC XE 4.2 - manual cover
This page (revision-41) was last changed on 03-Feb-2023 15:21 by Roland B. Wassenberg  Top