IBM ROM BASIC or lack thereof

Not anything "wrong" just that any program trhat addressed BASICA or ROM BASIC directly had to be modified, just like any prorgram source that addressed specific hardware features. Actually I like GW-BASIC more as it ran nice on all of my early machines and even runs OK on this PII-300. -> -----Original Message----- -> From: owner-classiccmp(a)classiccmp.org -> [mailto:owner-classiccmp@classiccmp.org]On Behalf Of Richard Erlacher -> Sent: Sunday, September 30, 2001 10:47 AM -> To: classiccmp(a)classiccmp.org -> Subject: Re: IBM ROM BASIC or lack thereof -> -> -> Yes, the MBC was a mess, but what were the problems with -> GWBASIC? It wasn't -> exactly like IBM basic, but it was OK, wasn't it? What "bad" -> points were you -> remembering? -> -> Dick -> -> ----- Original Message ----- -> From: "Russ Blakeman" <rhblakeman(a)kih.net> -> To: <classiccmp(a)classiccmp.org> -> Sent: Sunday, September 30, 2001 9:10 AM -> Subject: RE: IBM ROM BASIC or lack thereof -> -> -> > Without the BASIC interpreter we ended up with GW-BASIC, which -> had some good -> > points but other bad points. I had a Sanyo MBC-555-2 then and it was a -> > bigger mess even than the other clones as it had bitmapped CGA, strange -> > memory mapping, a non-standard BIOS (you had to get Sanyo's -> own DOS or an -> > aftermarket enhancement, not PC-DOS or MS-DOS off the shelf). -> I learned a -> > lot from that POS though. -> > -> > -> -----Original Message----- -> > -> From: owner-classiccmp(a)classiccmp.org -> > -> [mailto:owner-classiccmp@classiccmp.org]On Behalf Of Hans B Pufal -> > -> Sent: Sunday, September 30, 2001 8:56 AM -> > -> To: classiccmp(a)classiccmp.org -> > -> Subject: Re: IBM ROM BASIC or lack thereof -> > -> -> > -> -> > -> Russ Blakeman wrote: -> > -> -> > -> > If memory serves the one real thing that cloners couldn't -> > -> duplicate, maybe -> > -> > due to copyright, was the ROM BASIC but that they'd duplicated -> > -> everything -> > -> > else including the BIOS or a very good part of it. -> > -> -> > -> -> > -> Correct. The main BIOS source code was published in the IBM tech ref -> > -> manuals. The BASIC was not and AFAIK no clone maker ever included a -> > -> BASIC interpreter in the ROM. I don't think anyone missed it. DOS -> > -> always included an advanced BASIC interpreter which was -> available to all. -> > -> -> > -> > That pretty much led to IBM losing a lot in the PC market. -> > -> -> > -> Unclear. They certainly lost market share, but it can be argued that -> > -> without the clone market the whole personal computer market -> would have -> > -> been much smaller and diverse and arguably better. -> > -> -> > -> -- HBP -> > -> -> > -> -> > -> > -> ->