Survey posted 1999-10-31 02:09 by Andy.

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Is there such a thing as Z80 or 68K TI-BASIC? :)

Yes, I know what ticalc.org is trying to say, its just not the right syntax to use.

Seems fine to me, since there are so many more features in basic available to the 68K calculators

the basic on the 89 and 92 isn't 68k though...

Yeah, it is worded wrong. It should be 82/83, 85/86 and 89/92.

Yes. The BASIC for the calculators with the Z80 processor is different from the BASIC for the Motorola 68K processors. Z80/68K doesn't inherently refer to the assembly language for the specific processor, it can also refer to a family of calculators with their respective processors.

Basically, it is based on how it is entered into the calculator. The Z80 processors used commands that functioned as one "character," must be chosen from a menu, must be deleted all at once, not character by character (e. g. input is on the I/O menu, and if you hit delete on it, it will delete the whole Input word, not just the I). The 68K processor calculators used the menus and such as shortcuts/convenience factors to make it easier for the programmer to add the commands without using the "keyboard."

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Not true. I have an 86 and you can type the commands in letter by letter. You can also delete them letter by letter. I can delete the I, then the n and so on. You may also select commands from the menu, but it is only a short cut and is not required. Not sure which other z80's are like this, but I know it's true for the TI-86.

Yeah, he is right. They work as short cuts and you can add them letter by letter and delete any letter if you want that u put in with the menus.
I was writing a small prgm on a 83 and It deleted the whole word when i tryed to delete one letter.
oh yeah, I was wondering what 68K BASIC was!

You're right. 85/86 BASIC are virtually the same, and users can directly type in commands or select them from a menu. On the 82/83/83+, BASIC commands must be entered via selection from a menu. 68k BASIC includes many more commands than the z80 BASIC languages, mostly due to the CAS and the ROM, allowing BASIC programs to optimize the usage of both. The languages were grouped in that way due to the similarities in the languages.

~ferich

Actually, on the TI-86 and TI-85, you can type in functions, but on the TI-73, TI-81, TI-82, TI-83, and TI-83+, you can't type in functions. This is probobly because you can enter both uppercase and lowercase letters on the TI-86 and TI-85, and commands and functions contain lowercase letters.

The pre-83+ calculators use 1 byte (at least according to the calc's memory) for each function, so equal space is used by the function sum() as the function inString(). To my knowledge, on the later calcs (at least on the 89/92/92+), commands can be entered in letter-by-letter form or chosen from a menu (which just types it for you), and when you first run the basic program the calc compiles it. When you go to edit it again, the is decompiled for editing.

You can see this by creating a new file on the 92, checking the size, running the program, and checking the size again. You will notice the size drop a little. Also, I do believe this is what causes the delay upon the first execution of an edited program on the 86; this is the calc compiling the program.

Is this all correct? This is all inferred...

I am not sure, but I am almost COMPLETLY sure that the first time you run it is compiling(the reason it takes so long...).
And if you edit it again and run it it takes time at beginning.
but if yourun then run again it goes fast kuz it is comlied.

On an 86, write a program, then check it's size. Now run it, and then check the size again. It is smaller!

Yup. that's what is happening, except it is not true compilation because it leaves all commands as they are instead of asembling them such as ASM or C does. Instead it just replaces every function with a one-byte "token" to save space, thus it is called tokenization, and yes, this is exactly why there is a delay the first time you run it after an edit but not later.

Actually that is not always true. Depending on the content of the program, the size can actually Increase! I programed a lot on the 85 and viewed this ocurence many times, and I now have an 89 and it does it too. If i recall correctly, your program will get bigger if you use a lot of -> or xyline( and some others. Just thought you might want to know. This makes you think about how you want to structure your program to best utilize the small amount of space you have.

I also like the 89's basic language is a lot better because you have a lot more commands and can do a lot of things, like have "sprites" (actually small pictures that you can place anywhere on the screen) and have procedures, and you can even make variables in a program (while its running), etc. Its very nice.

All True. Same thing goes for the TI-86 and TI-85. (It's because they can type lowercase letters)

Yeah, I know, replying to my own post.

I had erred when I typed my reply to the whatever. I had thought that the 68K processors were both in the 85-block and the 92/89-block. On reinspection, I see the error in my ways.

Personaly, I just like z80 basic more becuase I've used it so much. From the 83-86 and I think its great. I have little experiance with 68k basic, and no experiance with ASM so its just a little preferance that I use z80 basic.

Yes, there is. 68K BASIC is the version of basic on the 92(+) and 89. z80 is on all of the other calcs

As I said in my comment, I know what ticalc.org was trying to say. :) But Z80 BASIC? Thats an oxymoron.

syntax error? you sound like my calc. I don't think I've ever heard a person use the word syntax.

well, syntax. I use it all the time.