[Coco] C VS Basic Coco

[Gene Heskett]

On Tuesday 13 February 2018 19:59:08 phil pt wrote:

> Let me re-word what I said. There has been a lot of changes that has
> been done to the basic compilers sine the 80's. In the 90's writing
> code using Cbasic3 increased the execution speed of the program,
> Visual basic.Net has come a long way since the 1st version was
> release, Real Basic runs very fast so it also depends on how to write
> the code.  Developing code using the basic compilers is only as some
> people think. For example using one function routine to handle
> different process saves memory and cpu time. Believe me I have been
> programming since the Coco1 and I had the changes to use many
> different basic compilers. since 1985.
>
> On Tue, Feb 13, 2018 at 7:16 PM, James Jones <jejones3141 at gmail.com> 
wrote:
> > I agree, use what gets the job done and is best for you. I also
> > agree that a large class of BASIC language systems are not suited
> > for writing programs of any size or complexity. (I recently got a
> > copy of the 1985 book *Back to BASIC: the History, Corruption, and
> > Future of the Language* by Kemeny and Kurtz, the creators of BASIC.
> > It is well worth reading in this regard, especially Chapter 4.)
> >
> > BASIC09, though not perfect, is not in that large class.
> >
Story time folks, skip if its not of interest.

I have written 2 programs that were in continuous use at the tv station I 
wrote it for, for nearly 15 years each time. The first one I wrote, was 
for an RCA 1802 based Cosmac Super Elf, in '78. I made the video for it, 
and used a large amount of self modifying code. That taught me to keep 
track of the stack, and anytime I modified the behaviour of a 
subroutine, the last thing I did in that subroutine was to restore the 
original value. Once I learned that, it never crashed again that I was 
made aware of. Because video machine ballistics could change, when I 
left I made sure there was instructions on how to modify the code in the 
event newer machines were bought. I checked in 94 when I was 250 miles 
north in Oregon, an vacation and visiting an Aunt I knew I better go see 
before she passed. The CE was then Norman Hoatson, who was the CE when I 
was the ACE in the late '70's. He assured he was dusting it regularly, 
and that it was still in daily use.

That program was written by looking up the assembler nemonic, and 
entering the hexidecimal value using a hex monitor. No assembler except 
me.

Then, at the station in WV where I finally retired from after 18 years, 
one of our earlier purchases was a Grass Valley Group 300-3A/B 
production switcher, which came from the J.C.Penny's NYC production 
studio when they closed it down. But it had spent quite a bit of time in 
NYC's polluted air, and required lots of maintenance keeping ahead of 
chips with black oxidized legs.  But that one did not come with the 
e-disk kit which allowed the tech folks to save the programs they had 
composed, and reload them the next time they were on duty running a 
show.

But it did come with a manual that fully described the protocol. I looked 
at that and said to myself, I can do that with a coco2! So I scrounged 
up a coco2, installed "The forgotten Chip" and wrote that puppy in 
basic09. It wasn't till several years later we had a chance at the same 
switcher from KTLA. It was in somewhat better shape, and it came with an 
e-disk, which I did install, for about 3 days.  The yelling and 
screaming from the troops in the trenches could not be ignored and they 
all said to put mine back in, so I did. The coco's 5" screen gave them 
English filenames instead of 2 digit numbers on a dial wheel, and it 
turned out that mine was at least 4x faster at a restore due to the baud 
rate diffs. And it was used until so many of the custom circuits had 
died in the 300-3A/B that it had to be replaced a year or so after I 
retired. So they gave me back the machine I had sold to the tv station 
for $245 all those years ago. I still have that machine and its disks 
and drives in the basement, its another of those old friends I just 
can't part with.  Because the com protocol used let me reach in and 
tickle this and that parts of the circuit, a logic problem could often 
be identified down to the gate in such and such a chip, which made 
keeping it ticking along a lot easier. I don't think theres much the 
coco's can't do as long as you are willing to do it at the coco's pace.

So that also spans around 15 years. Thats an EON in a tv stations 
physical plant, so I think I am justified in being proud of both efforts 
at the time.

Now, I'm just a retired old fart, whose legs are slowly going away from 
diabetes, playing around with cnc'd machinery. Machinery that was not 
cnc'd when it was drug in the door. That and careing for my wife, who 
broke a hip a year ago, and whose been going steadily downhill from COPD 
since I met her in about 87. We married in '89. Now she is towing an 
oxygen hose, and incapable of doing the exercises needed to put her back 
on her feet. Between all that, it sure keeps me out of the bars. :-)

-- 
Cheers, Gene Heskett
--
"There are four boxes to be used in defense of liberty:
 soap, ballot, jury, and ammo. Please use in that order."
-Ed Howdershelt (Author)
Genes Web page <http://geneslinuxbox.net:6309/gene>