The first computer language most people learn is BASIC. It’s easy for beginners to learn. It’s powerful and versatile enough to do just about any programming job that might arise. The BASIC dialect that Clive Sinclair developed and incorporated into the ZX81 is both sophisticated and compact. Also the fact that it is built in as ROM, means that the BASIC language does not take up any of the RAM area. In most other computers, like the Apple, the BASIC is stored on a disk and must be loaded into the RAM, taking up valuable memory space.
BASIC has been the mainstay of personal computers since they came into existence. However, BASIC, whether Sinclair’s or someone else’s, has some inherent weaknesses, mainly slowness and lack of rigor. It is easy to write a sloppy, disorganized BASIC program.
There are other computer languages and a few are gaining a lot of popularity in the world of computing. While most experts feel that BASIC is here to stay, because of its simplicity and the extent to which it has established itself, it is clear that many users are tiring of BASIC and going on to newer, faster, more sophisticated languages.
So where does that leave you and me – the loyal Timex-Sinclair users, with our 8K Sinclair BASIC ROMS built right in? Does a TS-1000 owner have to go out and buy a big expensive machine to satisfy his lust for language?
We at TS-Horizons were glad to learn that several new companies have developed two of the more popular alternatives to BASIC for Sinclair-based machines.
Here we’d like to present a quick overview of the new products. (Longer more in-depth articles will appear in later issues.)
TREE-FORTH
SoftMagic Corp.
1210 W. High Street
Bryan, Ohio 43506
X-FORTH
Hawg Wild Software
P.O.Box 7668
Little Rock, ARK 72217
ZX-FORTH
Forth Dimension
1451 N. Union Street
Middletown, PA 17057
FORTH was designed to make the best possible use of the computer’s memory and speed, two cruicial elements in a personal computing. FORTH is becoming very popular, due primarily to efforts of a small but growing group of computer users, the FORTH Interest Group, or FIG. FORTH is fast, about ten times as fast as BASIC. FORTH is multi-tasking. In other words while BASIC can perform only one operation at a time, FORTH can handle up to 10, or even more in some systems.
FORTH is available for the Apple II, Heath, IBM-PC, PDP-11, and TRS-80. Now it is available for the Sinclair (XC81, TS-1000, TS-1500) from three sources. All three are based on FORTH-79 which is the current standard developed by FIG.
TREE-FORTH has a chip-based system, that plugs right into your Sinclair PCB, and your computer can be switched from BASIC to FORTH, by an external switch. TREE-FORTH is resident on a chip, so there is no wait for the system to load. Also, since EPROM’s, can be reprogrammed the chip can be returned to SoftMagic for revisions, to meet any future standards. TREE-FORTH’s introductory price for the chip is $49.95 plus $2.00 postage and handling.
XFORTH is a cassette-based system, and is said to contain a very full FORTH vocabulary. It also can be returned to BASIC, by a simple keyboard command. Gary Smith of Hawg Wild Software promotes XFORTH with XFORTH XCHANGE, a special newsletter for XFORTH users. Hawg Wild is continually revising XFORTH to create new versions. The price is $25.00 and $1.00 shipping and handling.
ZX-FORTH from the FORTH Dimensions is also cassette loaded. Some of its features are: auto-repeat on keys, pixel graphics, customized backups, and full screen editing. It comes with two programs: a breakout game and a simple word processor. $42.95 plus $2.00, Postage and Handling.
Partial PASCAL
Semper Software
1569 Brittany Court
Wheaton, IL 60187
Semper Software has introduced what they call “Partial PASCAL.” Educators are really pushing PASCAL, because it is a very structured language, and it is said to encourage organized logical thinking in students. For instance, in a PASCAL program, all variables are defined and dimensional at the beginning. This requires the user to carefully think through his program. Pascal uses “block structioning” in which groups of related statements are organized into blocks. Many educators feel the students should learn PASCAL before being exposed to such sloppy languages as BASIC and FORTRAN.
In PASCAL and some other language, you have “integers”, which are all the whole numbers from -32768 to +32768 and take up 16 bits of memory, and you have “real” numbers which take up 32-bits and include fractions. Partial PASCAL leaves out real numbers and all the commands that deal with reals. In integer arithmatic all fractional parts are dropped; thus 7/2 = 3 exactly. By being restricted to integers (and for other reasons), Partial PASCAL is much faster than BASIC. However the lack of fractions, makes it difficult to use in some scientific applications. Of course, integers are adequate for program counters and make Partial PASCAL usable for games and other application.
Partial PASCAL’s tape handling system appears very attractive. Data saved on tape can be accessed by other programs, unlike Sinclair BASIC in which data are locked into each program.
It is quite encouraging to see such developments as alternative languages appear for the Sinclair. We will be presenting more information on the subject in the future. In the meantime if anyone hears of a ZX81 with a LISP or a TS-1000 with a LOGO, be sure and let us know.