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There was this: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turbo-Basic_XL https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turbo-Basic_XL https://sites.google.com/site/ataripal/turbobasicxl ht

There was this: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turbo-Basic_XL https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turbo-Basic_XL https://sites.google.com/site/ataripal/turbobasicxl https://sites.google.com/site/ataripal/turbobasicxl I won't ever forget typing in seemingly endless columns of hex numbers from a magazine to obtain both the interpreter and the compiler... (here are some original scans & documentation: http://www.tmeyer.de/atari/index.html http://www.tmeyer.de/atari/index.html).

t0mek 10y ago
Back in 8-bit days I didn't have access to the Turbo Basic XL, but was reading about it. I was really excited about the new features (speed, graphics commands, control structures) and at the same time miserable that I can't use it. The local computer shop offered a lot of Polish Atari games (they were great [1]), but not so much tools. Anyway, once I bought a new game "Kolony", stored on a cartridge. It was a multiplayer game, asking about the number of players before start. Accidentally, I pressed CTRL+3, which caused some error and I got the BASIC prompt. It turned out that the whole game was written in Turbo Basic XL and the cartridge included the interpreter as well. I just have to type NEW to erase the game code itself and start programming in the new BASIC flavour. [1] http://www.atarimania.com/list_games_atari-400-800-xl-xe-lk-avalon_publisher_1287_8_G.html http://www.atarimania.com/list_games_atari-400-800-xl-xe-lk-...
scarface74 10y ago
I always wondered why they didn't make disks available for sell with the programs on them? The two assembly programs I remember the best having to type out myself for the Apple //e was one that added double high resolution graphics commands to Applesift Basic and one typing out shape tables of letters so you could easily mix text with graphics.
- abecedarius 10y ago
  At least in the earlier years disk drives were high-end equipment. I started out with cassette tape, and it's much less reliable.

t0mek 10y ago

Back in 8-bit days I didn't have access to the Turbo Basic XL, but was reading about it. I was really excited about the new features (speed, graphics commands, control structures) and at the same time miserable that I can't use it. The local computer shop offered a lot of Polish Atari games (they were great [1]), but not so much tools. Anyway, once I bought a new game "Kolony", stored on a cartridge. It was a multiplayer game, asking about the number of players before start. Accidentally, I pressed CTRL+3, which caused some error and I got the BASIC prompt. It turned out that the whole game was written in Turbo Basic XL and the cartridge included the interpreter as well. I just have to type NEW to erase the game code itself and start programming in the new BASIC flavour. [1] http://www.atarimania.com/list_games_atari-400-800-xl-xe-lk-avalon_publisher_1287_8_G.html http://www.atarimania.com/list_games_atari-400-800-xl-xe-lk-...

scarface74 10y ago

I always wondered why they didn't make disks available for sell with the programs on them? The two assembly programs I remember the best having to type out myself for the Apple //e was one that added double high resolution graphics commands to Applesift Basic and one typing out shape tables of letters so you could easily mix text with graphics.

abecedarius 10y ago
At least in the earlier years disk drives were high-end equipment. I started out with cassette tape, and it's much less reliable.