Computers_With_BASIC_in_ROM / was Re: Texas Instruments CC-40 won't boot

[tony duell]

> > The Exidy Sorceror had BASIC as a plug-in ROM cartridge I believe. If you are including that one, I think the Atari 
> > 400 and 800 belong on the list too.

> That’s what I thought, which means the Exidy does not belong. The Atari 400 & 800 were already removed for the 
> same reason.

In that case the HP9000/200 machines don't belong either.

However, with the Atari 400 and 800 and the Exidy sorceror, the BASIC ROM module was, IIRC, included with the
machine in the standard configuration (i.e. if you bought an off-the-shelf boxed version of one of those, you
got a BASIC module). Is that really any different from having the ROMs fitted to the main PCB?

The HP9831 is another grey area. It came with BASIC in ROM. But the 'system ROM' module which contained
the BASIC firmware could be unplugged from the side of the machine for upgrading. AFAIK HP never supported
anything but BASIC on these machines. You could put the HPL firmware from an HP9825 in there, it would work,
but HP never supported that, and a few keys would be labelled incorrectly. [It was more common, given the 
rarity of the HP9831 to put the HP9831's firmware into an HP9825 to be able to run BASIC on that machine, 
something that HP never supported of course]

-tony


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