Does Atari Microsoft Basic I work with XL/XE?

[+Larry]

I have an original disk-based Atari Microsoft Basic, which I have not used in years -- likely since the cartridge-based version (II) was released. But yesterday and today I was testing it with some hardware, and I cannot get it run properly with any XL/XE I've tried or any XL/XE or 800 replacement OS using a stock 1050.

 

The first clue is that after it loads, it shows 39130 bytes free which is way more than it can possibly have. IIRC, the disk version has something like 21K free after loading. If I do PRINT FRE(0), it shows -26140 Further, if I hit RESET, it locks up usually with a black screen. I think I remember that MSB did RESET properly.

 

I know this was not a very popular product, but thought someone might know if it is/is not compatible.

 

-Larry

[+Larry]

I should have continued trying different machines.

 

It is compatible with stock XL's and XE's using either the XL/XE OS or Omnimon or Omniview 800 OS's (and probably others, too). It comes up with the following after loading:

 

21022 BYTES FREE

ATARI 800 BASIC V1.0

© 1981 MICROSOFT

 

It evidently is picky about memory expansions. Sorry to answer my own post, but there's the answer. And it does RESET properly.

 

-Larry

Edited October 3, 2010 by Larry

[Divya16]

I should have continued trying different machines.

 

It is compatible with stock XL's and XE's using either the XL/XE OS or Omnimon or Omniview 800 OS's (and probably others, too). It comes up with the following after loading:

 

21022 BYTES FREE

ATARI 800 BASIC V1.0

© 1981 MICROSOFT

 

It evidently is picky about memory expansions. Sorry to answer my own post, but there's the answer. And it does RESET properly.

 

-Larry

 

I think it's better to use cartridge versions of programming languages to prevent accidental erasing of the language itself in case of buggy programs. ROM software is like having a protected OS installed that prevents user applications from over-writing the OS but even better since viruses/spyware can still ruin OSes whereas not if they are in ROM. Perhaps, you should forward this to Microsoft.

[+Larry]

Well, still more testing and did I have this thing wrong. It loads with many OS and multiple memory configurations.

 

But what it doesn't like is APE. This is one of the very few programs that I've run across that refused to run with APE active.

 

Live and learn...

[OldAtarian]

I should have continued trying different machines.

 

It is compatible with stock XL's and XE's using either the XL/XE OS or Omnimon or Omniview 800 OS's (and probably others, too). It comes up with the following after loading:

 

21022 BYTES FREE

ATARI 800 BASIC V1.0

© 1981 MICROSOFT

 

It evidently is picky about memory expansions. Sorry to answer my own post, but there's the answer. And it does RESET properly.

 

-Larry

 

I think it's better to use cartridge versions of programming languages to prevent accidental erasing of the language itself in case of buggy programs. ROM software is like having a protected OS installed that prevents user applications from over-writing the OS but even better since viruses/spyware can still ruin OSes whereas not if they are in ROM. Perhaps, you should forward this to Microsoft.

 

That's what those little stickers that go over the notches are for.

Edited October 3, 2010 by OldAtarian

[OldAtarian]

Well, still more testing and did I have this thing wrong. It loads with many OS and multiple memory configurations.

 

But what it doesn't like is APE. This is one of the very few programs that I've run across that refused to run with APE active.

 

Live and learn...

 

Maybe it thinks you're trying to hack the source code. There were a lot of programs that refused to run if you had a custom OS installed like the Omnimon or things like that. That's one of the reasons you needed the Translator for some early software. Part of the protection was to check certain memory locations and if the expected values weren't found there the protection assumed you were a pirate with an Omnimon and refused to load into memory.