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I learned Basic on a ZX Spectrum clone when I was a kid. It was harder to structure the code because there were no functions and subroutines, just line numbers
by DeathArrow 3y ago
I learned Basic on a ZX Spectrum clone when I was a kid.
It was harder to structure the code because there were no functions and subroutines, just line numbers and goto.
No while, no fors. Just ifs.
When I've learned x86 assembly later, it didn't seem too different to me.
This variant of Basic is more close to Pascal for me than the Basic I've learned.
- WalterBright 3y agoLine numbers and goto make it really easy to learn to write simple programs.
- bzzzt 3y agoI've started on the ZX Spectrum too, as I recall the built-in BASIC had GO SUB and RETURN statements so you could do subroutines. It even had FOR loops. Allowing only a single letter for string variable names was a pain though ;)
- DeathArrow 3y agoThen I don't have a good memory of it.
- DeathArrow 3y agoThen I don't have a good memory of it. GO SUB line number isn't the same as using GOTO?
- jasaldivara 3y agoWith GOSUB you can use RETURN, but not with GOTO. GOSUB is for subroutines. (At least that's how it was on MS BASIC.)
- guraf 3y ago> there were no functions and subroutines, just line numbers and goto. No while, no fors. Just ifs Your memory is a little hazy because the ZX Spectrum had both subroutines and for loops (I believe all Sinclair machines did).
- Zardoz84 3y agoweird clone. ZX Basic had for loops. I know very well because I wrote a program to help me to memorice multiplication tables on a ZX Spectrum when I was a kid .
- ThinkBeat 3y agoSinclair ZX Spectrum (Sinclair BASIC) had subroutines and looping. See: https://worldofspectrum.org/ZXBasicManual/zxmanchap4.html https://worldofspectrum.org/ZXBasicManual/zxmanchap4.html https://worldofspectrum.org/ZXBasicManual/zxmanchap5.html https://worldofspectrum.org/ZXBasicManual/zxmanchap5.html Timex Basic featured on the "clones" they produced is said to be a a superset of Sinclair basic, in which case then Timex Basic has the same features. I am not 100% when it comes to the ZX81. I did most of my programming on the ZX Spectrum. I wrote a database engine and front end on it. (There really was no backend and frontend it was all just one program. But the engine was versatile and easy to build a new front end on top of. I tried selling it for a while without luck. (Which was probably a good thing). Looking back on it now its embarrassing. I had no real idea what a database was, or how to functioned inside. But given my age and tools available it was ok-
- pjmlp 3y agoAs Timex 2068 owner can confirm the superiority of its BASIC and extensions. However for games, I needed to use the 48k emulation eprom cartridge, and with 128K ZX was on the edge again.