21 Apr
2021
21 Apr
'21
10:10 a.m.
On 2021-Apr-21, at 1:49 AM, Christian Corti via cctalk wrote:
I'm trying to find out if the BASIC dialect that
was available for the MINCAL computers (aboutn 1971) was something derived from another
"system" or whether it was an own dialect.
Some characteristic instructions that I can't find somewhere else are:
- Formatted output with PRINT FOR(<FORTRAN like description>)
Example: PRINT FOR(F5.0)500.1
- Computed GOTO with GOTO <expression> OF n1,n2,...
Example: GOTO A+B+1 OF 100,20,50
- Presence of "DEF FN", lack of RESTORE for DATA/READ constructs.
This BASIC must have been around 1970-1972.
It's not clear what you're looking for:
1. A possible predecessor/origin for the source code or design of the MINCAL
interpreter,
2. or, earlier BASIC implementations that had the language features you mention.
If 2:
- HPBASIC for the late-60s HP2100 machines (2115,2115,2114) has DEF FN. (Date of source
reference: 4/70).
- the HP9830 (released 1972) has both DEF FN and computed goto (as well as computed
gosub).
- The 9830 has very Fortran-ish WRITE and FORMAT statements.
DEF FN was nothing new, it was apparently in the original Dartmouth.