NA IBM Tokenized Basic? NA

Skip Miller

Skip Miller

Final Approach
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Skip Miller
Do you remember the original IBM PC? It came with a "tokenized basic" chip in it that would run a text file basic program without the need for a compiler.

Is there such a thing as an "IBM tokenized emulator" that will run an uncompiled basic program with Windows 10? Thanks! -Skip
 
VB Scripting is still supported in Windows. What exactly is it that you want to achieve?
 
Back in the early 80's, I used to code in Better Basic, which had an interpreter, but also a compiler (best of both worlds). It even let you call sub-routines by name, instead of line number (as Basic did back then).
 
John221us said:
Back in the early 80's, I used to code in Better Basic, which had an interpreter, but also a compiler (best of both worlds). It even let you call sub-routines by name, instead of line number (as Basic did back then).
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Sounds like HP Basic. HP really insulted their language by calling it BASIC. It had true independent variables in subroutines, IF/THEN/ELSE structure, etc. No real limit on the length of variable names. You could write some really good self-commenting code in that language. My boss at Tandem wrote a long program that would run our 10 meter RF semi-anechoic chamber and our OATS using that language. I had no trouble maintaining and upgrading that program over the next 10 years and even dropped in a year after I left the company and fixed a problem they had with it. And I recall that the old HP 9000 Model 500 (the first 32 bit microprocessor was used in it) compiled a line of BASIC the first time it saw it and then ran the compiled version afterwards. For 1983 that thing was FAST. HP tried to get me to stay in Colorado when I left Martin Marietta Denver Aerospace instead of moving to California to go to work for Tandem Computers because I was the one person in Colorado with experience with that new machine. It was really nice (for its day), but I'm glad I went to Tandem. Another story for another day.
 
Ghery said:
Sounds like HP Basic. HP really insulted their language by calling it BASIC. It had true independent variables in subroutines, IF/THEN/ELSE structure, etc. No real limit on the length of variable names. You could write some really good self-commenting code in that language. My boss at Tandem wrote a long program that would run our 10 meter RF semi-anechoic chamber and our OATS using that language. I had no trouble maintaining and upgrading that program over the next 10 years and even dropped in a year after I left the company and fixed a problem they had with it. And I recall that the old HP 9000 Model 500 (the first 32 bit microprocessor was used in it) compiled a line of BASIC the first time it saw it and then ran the compiled version afterwards. For 1983 that thing was FAST. HP tried to get me to stay in Colorado when I left Martin Marietta Denver Aerospace instead of moving to California to go to work for Tandem Computers because I was the one person in Colorado with experience with that new machine. It was really nice (for its day), but I'm glad I went to Tandem. Another story for another day.
Click to expand...
But then Tandem ended up owned by HP anyway...
 
Ghery said:
Sounds like HP Basic. HP really insulted their language by calling it BASIC. It had true independent variables in subroutines, IF/THEN/ELSE structure, etc. No real limit on the length of variable names. You could write some really good self-commenting code in that language. My boss at Tandem wrote a long program that would run our 10 meter RF semi-anechoic chamber and our OATS using that language. I had no trouble maintaining and upgrading that program over the next 10 years and even dropped in a year after I left the company and fixed a problem they had with it. And I recall that the old HP 9000 Model 500 (the first 32 bit microprocessor was used in it) compiled a line of BASIC the first time it saw it and then ran the compiled version afterwards. For 1983 that thing was FAST. HP tried to get me to stay in Colorado when I left Martin Marietta Denver Aerospace instead of moving to California to go to work for Tandem Computers because I was the one person in Colorado with experience with that new machine. It was really nice (for its day), but I'm glad I went to Tandem. Another story for another day.
Click to expand...
Boy, I did a LOT of work in HP Basic. I used the HP systems for controlling automated test equipment. All the instruments connected through HP-IB.
 
Ghery said:
Sounds like HP Basic. HP really insulted their language by calling it BASIC. It had true independent variables in subroutines, IF/THEN/ELSE structure, etc. No real limit on the length of variable names. You could write some really good self-commenting code in that language. My boss at Tandem wrote a long program that would run our 10 meter RF semi-anechoic chamber and our OATS using that language. I had no trouble maintaining and upgrading that program over the next 10 years and even dropped in a year after I left the company and fixed a problem they had with it. And I recall that the old HP 9000 Model 500 (the first 32 bit microprocessor was used in it) compiled a line of BASIC the first time it saw it and then ran the compiled version afterwards. For 1983 that thing was FAST. HP tried to get me to stay in Colorado when I left Martin Marietta Denver Aerospace instead of moving to California to go to work for Tandem Computers because I was the one person in Colorado with experience with that new machine. It was really nice (for its day), but I'm glad I went to Tandem. Another story for another day.
Click to expand...
This was actually PC based (state of the art IBM Turbo XT at the time with a 5 MB interchangeable hard drive). I was working for Interstate Voice Products. I have done work for HP in Roseville's test division and got to experience the 10 meter chamber. That was trippy. The world went silent.
 
Salty said:
But then Tandem ended up owned by HP anyway...
Click to expand...

With an interlude of ownership by Compaq. Given that Jimmy Treybig worked for HP when he came up with the idea for fault tolerant computing it only took HP 30 years to finally get the idea back under their roof. :D
 
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