Turbo-BASIC XL
Back to current versionRestore this version

Turbo-BASIC XL by Frank Ostrowski 1985#

Table of Contents

Background#

Turbo-BASIC XL 1.5 is a fast BASIC interpreter for the Atari XL and XE. It was written by Frank Ostrowski and first published in the German Happy Computer magazine in 1985. TURBO is fully compatible with Atari BASIC, but fixes some of its well-known bugs and replaces its notoriously slow loops and math functions. The result is that TURBO will run any Atari BASIC program, but do so around three to five times as fast!

If that were not enough, TURBO also includes a suite of new keywords and functions to improve on the original. These include structured programming concepts like WHILE loops and similar, DOS commands that allow you to manipulate files without exiting to the DOS menu, DPOKE and DPEEK for working with 16-bit memory values, editing commands like RENUM, and debugging commands like TRACE. Yet, due to clever memory management, TURBO leaves 1,700 more bytes of RAM free, allowing you to write larger programs than Atari BASIC.

And if that wasn't enough, Ostrowski also released the Turbo-BASIC Compiler, which lets you take your completed programs and compile them so they run 15 to 20 times faster than Atari BASIC. The compiler comes with an associated runtime library, so the resulting programs run on machines without TURBO being loaded.

The original Turbo-BASIC XL ran only on the XL/XE machines, but Ostrowski later back-ported it to the original 400/800's as Frost BASIC 1.4, which was later named Turbo-BASIC 1.4. Other programmers have added their own extensions to the TURBO code, resulting in a profusion of minor versions.

Turbo-BASIC XL is compatible with Atari BASIC, but it runs three to four times faster when interpreted and has advanced program control and I/O commands. Using the Turbo-BASIC XL compiler makes programs run 15-20 times faster than Atari BASIC and it will compile Atari BASIC programs too!

Turbo-BASIC XL will only work on XL and XE computers with at least 64K. Ostrowski is also the author of GFA BASIC for the Atari ST, which is being distributed in the U.S. by MichTron.

TUREX.COM is the enhancement for Turbo-BASIC XL you are looking for. So, load Turbo-BASIC XL, then BLOAD or BRUN the TUREX.COM file. You now have an extended version of Turbo-BASIC XL with various new commands. Take a look at the TUREX.TXT file, it is the german documentation which shows all available extra commands...

As mentioned before, all *.XTB files are only examples for the Turbo-BASIC XL enhancement. (The "Extended Turbo-BASIC XL" was originally released as an *.ARC file, I also put this file on the disk together with Unarc.COM; but you already find all unarced files on the disk, so the ARC file is kinda redundant and just there for archiving purposes.)

Afair, XTB had been created by Thorsten Karwoth, he is also the author of Atari Macro Assembler 4.32, Atari Macro Assembler XE 2.1, Power Packer, Packer and Linker, Megablast, MyDOS Batchfile Enhancement, Laser Duell, Soundmonitor Professional and a few other programs. Thank you so much Thorsten, for giving your work into PD. We really owe you very much. The community is deep in your debt!

References#

Pictures form Frank Ostrowski#

Frank Ostrowski around 1985

Article of Frank Ostrowski's Turbo-BASIC XL from 12/1985

Frank Ostrowski and his boss in the mid 80's

Frank Ostrowski in the late 80's taken from ST World Magazine - Jan 1990 - Issue 47 scanned by Lonny Pursell

Source Code#

After years of investigation and paying government fees in 3 digits amount, AtariWiki can disclose, that the author of Turbo-BASIC XL, Frank Ostrowski, has left us in 2011 at age 50 due to a severe disease. Deep investigations, regarding his brother, his sisters, his colleagues and so on, come to the conclusion, that the source code is lost in time. Even the enhanced version from Thorsten Karwoth is lost, because of a water damage in Thorsten's home, which destroyed all listings and diskettes. That is a very sad status, but there is still hope. If someone out there in the galaxy can build a source code out of this marvelous program from the original object code, like Lorenz did with Star Raiders Star Raiders source code by Lorenz Wiest, we can rebuild it, we have the capability to build the best Basic for Atari ever, faster, stronger, better. We call the six million dollar Basic just simple Ultimate Basic. With all the source codes now in PD: Source Codes it should be possible. Stay tuned.

Frank, wherever you are, you really did a man's job, so outstanding and far ahead of your time. Germany is deep in your debt and so is the worldwide Atari community. We will never forgot your work and your contribution to the world. You belong to those, who are not replaceable and will never be forgotten. May god bless you, wherever you are now.

Well, sometimes miracles happen, so today: 5/22/17 ; Somewhere out there in the galaxy a very good soul (who prefer to stay in the dark) with a great heart at the right place had the source code und we can offer it now with the permission of the Ostrowski family. Here we go:

CAR-Images#

ROM-Images#

There is only one byte difference between the headers in the two files above, which is in the cartridge type definition section of the header. The Altirra CAR has the correct byte of "55" for a SIC cart, whereas the Atari800MacX CAR has "30", which is the type defined for a MegaCart 256 KB. Thank you MrFish from AtariAge for your help! :-)

ATR-Images#

XEX-File#

CAS-File#

Manuals#

Turbo-Basic XL 1.5-Handbuch ; original first edition created by Wil Braakman, translated from Rolf A. Specht into German and complete re-edited and revised by Marc 'Sleepπ' Brings ; highly recommended by AtariWiki! :-)))

The above printed book includes everything you ever want to know about Turbo-Basic! It is in German language. Only few are available, orders can be made via the ABBUC shop.

Das neue Turbo-Basic XL 1.5 Handbuch. Das Buch wurde langjährigen Mitgliedern als Jahresgabe 2015 überreicht. Für alle, die dieses Buch nicht bekommen haben, gibt es jetzt die Möglichkeit eines der wenigen Restexemplare käuflich vom ABBUC shop zu erwerben.

Abbreviations#

Command Abbreviation
# #
%GET %G.
%PUT %.
*B *B
*F *.
*L *L
-- --
-MOVE -.
? ?
BGET BG.
BLOAD BL.
BPUT BP.
BRUN BR.
BYE B.
CIRCLE CI.
CLOAD CLOA.
CLOSE CL.
CLR CLR
CLS CLS
COLOR C.
COM COM
CONT CON.
CSAVE CS.
DATA D.
DEG DE.
DEL DEL
DELETE DEL.
DIM DI.
DIR DIR
DO DO
DOS DO.
DPOKE DP.
DRAWTO DR.
DSOUND DS.
DUMP DU.
ELSE EL.
END END
ENDIF END.
ENDPROC ENDP.
ENTER E.
EXEC EXE.
EXIT EX.
FCOLOR FC.
FILLTO FI.
FOR F.
GET GE.
GOTO G.
GO# GO#
GOSUB GOS.
GOTO G.
GRAPHICS GR.
IF IF
INPUT I.
LET LE.
LIST L.
LOAD LO.
LOCATE LOC.
LOCK LOCK
LOOP LOO.
LPRINT LP.
MOVE M.
NEW NEW
NEXT N.
NOTE NO.
ON ON
OPEN O.
PAINT PAI.
PAUSE PA.
PLOT PL.
POINT P.
POKE POK.
POP POP
POSITION POS.
PRINT PR.
PROC PRO.
PUT PU.
RAD RA.
READ REA.
REM .
RENAME REN.
RENUM RENU.
REPEAT REP.
RESTORE RES.
RETURN RET.
RUN RU.
SAVE S.
SETCOLOR SE.
SOUND SO.
STATUS ST.
STOP STO.
TEXT TE.
TIME$= TI.
TRACE TRAC.
TRAP T.
UNLOCK UNL.
UNTIL U.
WEND WE.
WHILE W.
XIO X.

Images#

Frost BASIC 1.4 - startscreen ; this was the predecessor of Turbo-BASIC XL 1.5 for the 400/800 machines, but was later published than Turbo-BASIC XL 1.5 itself. The characters after 1985 are by all means no mistake, indeed they match perfectly to: 'M&T SOFTWARE', which means: 'Markt und Technik Software'. Please look for yourself in the Atari ATASCII Table. :-)

Turbo-BASIC XL - startscreen

Turbo-BASIC XL - Turbo-BASIC XL 1.5, Compiler 1.1, Runtime and Linker in just one single cartridge

Turbo-BASIC XL - Turbo-BASIC XL 1.6 ; thank you so much THOR! We really appreciate your help, especially with Basic++

Turbo-BASIC XL - Turbo-BASIC XL 2.0 ; (C) 1990 LASER software

Turbo-BASIC XL - TT-BASIC XL 2.11 ; with TURBO 2000 SYSTEM; (C) 1988 J. Richter

Turbo-BASIC XL 3.2q for SpartaDOS, Startscreen ; (C) 1992 Tom Hunt

Turbo-BASIC XL - Turbo-BASIC_XL Compiler Version 1.1 - intro

Turbo-BASIC XL - Turbo-BASIC_XL Compiler Version 1.1 - main

Ron Fetzer