BASIC Programming
AMG AllGame Guide:
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BASIC Programming
- Release Date: 1979
- Genre: Home
- Style: Development Tools
Game Description
Ever wanted to try your hand at computer programming but had no idea where to start? BASIC Programming for the Atari 2600 makes programming, well, basic.BASIC is an acronym for Beginner's All-purpose Symbolic Instruction Code. In conjunction with the manual, this cartridge will help you learn the beginning steps of this easy-to-learn computer language. You can create simple programs, games, and even compose your own music. Up to nine lines of code are allowed.
To simplify the input of data, BASIC Programming requires a set of special keyboard controllers that plug into both the left and right joystick ports. These keyboard controllers were included in the original packaging.
~ Skyler Miller, All Game Guide
Production Credits
Designer: Warren Robinett
~ Joshua Hoffman, All Game Guide
Wikipedia on Answers.com:
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BASIC Programming
This article is about the Atari 2600 cartridge. For programming in other BASICs, see BASIC. For other meanings, see Basic programming (disambiguation).
| Basic Programming | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Developer(s) | Warren Robinett |
| Publisher(s) | Atari |
| Designer(s) | Warren Robinett |
| Platform(s) | Atari 2600 |
| Release date(s) | 1979 |
| Media/distribution | Cartridge |
BASIC Programming attempted to teach simple computer programming on the Atari 2600. It was released for the Atari 2600 console in 1979 and it was one of only a few non-gaming cartridges released by the company. This program allowed consumers to create some simple programs using its own unique programming language, which was superficially similar to dialects of BASIC, but differed in many important aspects. The extremely small RAM size of the Atari 2600, 128 bytes, severely restricted the possibilities of this cartridge for writing any programs.
The BASIC Programming display was divided into six regions:
- Program where instructions are written (maximum of nine lines of code).
- Stack shows temporary results of what your program does.
- Variables displays the values of any variables your program is using.
- Output displays any output values your program is creating.
- Status displays the amount of available memory remaining
- Graphics contains two colored squares that can be manipulated by your program.
Input was given through two Atari keyboard controllers, which came with special overlays to show how to type the different commands and letters. Programs were restricted only up to 64 characters in size and 9 lines of code and thereby severely limiting anything other than programs such as printing names or moving a block across the screen. The cartridge intended to teach programming using its keypad controllers, which was not really a suitable medium of input for programming. Users could disable all windows except Program and keep selecting "New Line" until over nine empty lines had been entered and thus their program could use 11 lines of code using this trick. Given these limitations, Basic Programming cartridge never took off and is considered to be a novel but a failed product.
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AMG AllGame Guide
Copyright © 2012 All Media Guide, LLC. Content provided by All Game Guide ®, a trademark of All Media Guide, LLC. All rights reserved.
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