BASIC toolkits (aka BASIC extensions) were a common type of program for 1980s 8-bit
home computers. Generally third-party extensions, they added additional features to a computer's built-in
BASIC
BASIC (Beginners' All-purpose Symbolic Instruction Code) is a family of general-purpose, high-level programming languages designed for ease of use. The original version was created by John G. Kemeny and Thomas E. Kurtz at Dartmouth College ...
interpreter.
__NOTOC__
Technical concept
Toolkits ran as extensions to the BASIC interpreter supplied with the machine. At the time, such interpreters almost always came programmed into the
ROM of the computer, making it impossible to modify or
patch the
code
In communications and information processing, code is a system of rules to convert information—such as a letter, word, sound, image, or gesture—into another form, sometimes shortened or secret, for communication through a communication ...
. It was also extremely rare for manufacturers to offer upgrades or bugfixes except as part of new models of machine.
As the original language was held in immutable
ROM, it generally was difficult for a toolkit to directly extend the language, except by adding new keywords to perform functions not implemented by the original interpreter.
Functionality
Typical toolkit functionality included editing extensions, such as commands to renumber a program, perform block line deletions and so on, facilities to make
structured programming
Structured programming is a programming paradigm aimed at improving the clarity, quality, and development time of a computer program by making extensive use of the structured control flow constructs of selection ( if/then/else) and repetition ( ...
possible, and additional keywords to perform new functions. In the case of the latter, these new functions often allowed the programmer to easily access the computer's
graphics
Graphics () are visual images or designs on some surface, such as a wall, canvas, screen, paper, or stone, to inform, illustrate, or entertain. In contemporary usage, it includes a pictorial representation of data, as in design and manufacture ...
,
sound and other hardware which was often partially or completely unsupported in the early BASICs. This would have otherwise been achieved by arcane usage of ''
PEEK and POKE
In computing, PEEK and POKE are commands used in some high-level programming languages for accessing the contents of a specific memory cell referenced by its memory address. PEEK gets the byte located at the specified memory address.
POKE sets ...
'' commands and
machine language routines.
Notable examples
*
Beta BASIC
Beta BASIC is a BASIC interpreter for the Sinclair Research ZX Spectrum microcomputer, written by Dr Andrew Wright in 1983 and sold by his one-man software house BetaSoft. BetaSoft also produced a regular newsletter/magazine, BetaNews.
Original ...
(
ZX Spectrum) – Extension to
Sinclair BASIC
Sinclair BASIC is a dialect of the programming language BASIC used in the 8-bit home computers from Sinclair Research and Timex Sinclair. The Sinclair BASIC interpreter was made by Nine Tiles Networks Ltd.
History
Sinclair BASIC was orig ...
; started out as a simple toolkit but grew into a full interpreter
*
Lightning BASIC
Lightning is a naturally occurring electrostatic discharge during which two electric charge, electrically charged regions, both in the atmosphere or with one on the land, ground, temporarily neutralize themselves, causing the instantaneous ...
(
Amstrad PCW
The Amstrad PCW series is a range of personal computers produced by British company Amstrad from 1985 to 1998, and also sold under licence in Europe as the "Joyce" by the German electronics company Schneider in the early years of the series' life. ...
) – Extension to
Mallard BASIC with many new facilities (see the Mallard BASIC article for details)
*
Simons' BASIC (
Commodore 64
The Commodore 64, also known as the C64, is an 8-bit home computer introduced in January 1982 by Commodore International (first shown at the Consumer Electronics Show, January 7–10, 1982, in Las Vegas). It has been listed in the Guinness ...
) – Extension to
BASIC 2.0
Commodore BASIC, also known as PET BASIC or CBM-BASIC, is the dialect of the BASIC programming language used in Commodore International's 8-bit home computer line, stretching from the PET of 1977 to the C128 of 1985.
The core is based on 6 ...
with 114 extra commands; programmed by a 16-year-old boy and marketed by CBM
*
Super Expander
The VIC-1211 Super Expander is a cartridge for the VIC-20 home computer. It was designed to provide several extensions to the BASIC interpreter on the computer, mostly to help with programming graphics and sound. It also provided of extra RAM ...
(
CBM VIC-20) – A combined
RAM-expansion (3
kibibytes) and BASIC extension
cartridge
See also
*
List of BASIC dialects#BASIC extensions
*
List of computers with on-board BASIC
This is a list of computers with on-board BASIC. They shipped standard with a version of BASIC that was installed in the computer. The computers can access the BASIC language without the user inserting cartridges or loading software from external m ...
{{DEFAULTSORT:Basic Extension
BASIC programming language