[net.micro] Slow Home Computers

dce (11/16/82)

I've noticed the great advances in the home computer industry in prices,
memory size, peripherals, and languages, but I was wondering why all of
the cheap computers (TI/99, Vic20, Trs80 CoCo) use those very slow
interpreters. When I write a program and have tested it and it works, I
really don't need any error checking done while running it, and I wouldn't
mind waiting for the interpreter to do some preprocessing such as finding
the addresses of GOTO and loop targets before the program starts running.
Does anyone have any ideas on this? Why don't you get an option to suppress
error checking? Why not have more preprocessing, the memory is available?

			David Elliott

CSvax:Physics:els (11/18/82)

    With the amounts of memory now available, couldn't there be a type of
**compiler** basic.  Certainly running the compiled version would be a lot
shorter.  If such a critter exists, could someone please post its whereabouts?


                               els[Eric Strobel]
                               pur-ee!pur-phy!els

larry (11/20/82)

No compiled BASIC's??  I beg to differ!  Besides the BASCOM and a few
other psuedo-compiled types Microsoft sells a companion compiler to
their more conventional interpreter.  Digital Research is hyp'ing their
CB-80 as a compiled BASIC too, tho I don't know if it is a real compiler
or not.


		Larry Marek
		 Bell Labs
		  Naperville

goldfarb.ucf-cs@Udel-Relay@sri-unix (11/21/82)

From:     Ben Goldfarb <goldfarb.ucf-cs@Udel-Relay>
	
	No compiled BASIC's??  I beg to differ!  Besides the BASCOM and a few
	other psuedo-compiled types Microsoft sells a companion compiler to
	their more conventional interpreter.  Digital Research is hyp'ing their
	CB-80 as a compiled BASIC too, tho I don't know if it is a real compiler
	or not.
	
	
			Larry Marek
			 Bell Labs
			  Naperville
	
BASCOM is not a pseudo-compiler.  It *IS* the companion compiler to the 	
Micorsoft BASIC interpreter.  CB-80 is a true compiler for CBASIC-II, which
was a pseudo-compiler in its first incarnation.  Microsoft is a rather
general implementation, whereas CBASIC is specifically oriented to commercial
programming. 
				Ben Goldfarb
				Univ. of Central Fl.
				ARPA: goldfarb.ucf-cs @ Udel-Relay
				      goldfarb.ucf-cs @ Rand-Relay
				uucp: ...!duke!ucf-cs!goldfarb