Need info about the ABC basic compiler (from Monarch Data Systems)

[thorfdbg]

Anybody familiar with 1.05 and 1.03, what

differences? I could try make a .PRO image.

 

The differences are minor. The latter versions had a more compact method of addressing variables - the early revision had a specific p-Code for it, the latter versions used p-Codes 128+v to address the variable v. There was a also a glitch in the COLOR/PLOT command IIRC in the first version that got fixed. I personally decompiled the ABC compiler (with my decompiler, obviously) and fixed a couple of other glitches and made a couple of improvements as well. Basically, the patched version would allow you to place runtime anywhere in memory, not just at the two or three positions that came with the compiler (I believe $1F00 and $2600) and it had a couple of improvements like supporting RUN and RUN "D:...". The later was implemented by a binary load XIO which is, however, only available under DOS 3 and my own DOS (which happens to be the same DOS you find in Atari++). Probably some other DoS's implement the same XIO as well, 2.0S definitely did not.

[+Larry]

Until the Turbo Basic and compiler package (and finally the linker!) came along, this was always my choice as the "best" Atari programming software created. It is still one heck of a useful program for the Basic programmer.

 

-Larry

[Kroah]

I have ported the decompiler to C#.

 

It has the same features has the Turbo Basic XL version and add the following :

- more lisible output (but can't be loaded back on Atari, useful to understand an unknown basic program).

- a dictionary can be defined to replace generic variable names by user defined ones.

- labels can be defined to name some lines.

 

I will post it here after some tests if anyone is interested.

 

Credit goes to Thomas Richter for his initial work on Atari.

Hey all,

 

Better late than never, i finally took some time to clean up the code of my C# ABC Decompiler (ported from the work of Thomas Richter written in Turbo Basic).

The zip contains both the C# source and the binary with my WIP on Imperium Galactum (not finished because of the size of mixed asm<->basic code, very boring):

ABC Decompiler - v1.00.zip

 

I think Thomas Richter is OK to post his Turbo Basic program, but i will remove it if needed:

ABC Compiler & Decompiler.zip

You will find inside:

- "ABC A Basic Compiler 1.05 (1987)(Monarch Data Systems).atr": The original ABC Compiler (itself compiled with ABC)

- "ABC - 1.05 - ATASCII.txt" & "ABC - 1.05 - ASCII.txt": The decompiled compiler (Basic)

- "UNKOMP.TRB" & "UNKOMP - ATASCII.txt" & "UNKOMP - ASCII.txt": The Thomas Turbo Basic XL Decompiler (Basic)

[thorfdbg]

 

I think Thomas Richter is OK to post his Turbo Basic program, but i will remove it if needed:

No, that's ok, keep it were it is provided you quote the author. And thanks for porting the code. I afraid my original attempt was a bit messy, given the limited ways how TB allows structured programming.

 

Anyhow, greetings from Snowbird (right now).

[+DjayBee]

I did a fresh .PRO image of ABC103. It is 100,816 bytes, bigger than a sngl .ATR, but smaller than the 1.03 I've seen

online. I think you have to have APE, maybe registered, to run a .PRO image.

 

This is the only working image of ABC on the net. All other ATRs >v1.02 at the usual archives are plain sector copies of the protected disks. Therefore they all fail the copy protection.

This is also true for Mr. Fish's website.

 

I think Thomas Richter is OK to post his Turbo Basic program, but i will remove it if needed:

ABC Compiler & Decompiler.zip

You will find inside:

- "ABC A Basic Compiler 1.05 (1987)(Monarch Data Systems).atr": The original ABC Compiler (itself compiled with ABC)

- "ABC - 1.05 - ATASCII.txt" & "ABC - 1.05 - ASCII.txt": The decompiled compiler (Basic)

 

 

"Just because" I wanted to have the original images working and therefore cracked v1.03 and v1.05 using russg's .PRO and the files from Kroah's archive.

I know that this is quite useless with the decompiled source available.

 

Does somebody have the manual for v1.05? At least the runtime differs from the earlier versions.

ABC A Basic Compiler v1.03 (1983)(Monarch Data Systems)(US)cr.atr

ABC A Basic Compiler v1.05 (1987)(Monarch Data Systems)(US)cr.atr

ABC A Basic Compiler v1.05 - Documentation.txt

[+MrFish]

This is the only working image of ABC on the net. All other ATRs >v1.02 at the usual archives are plain sector copies of the protected disks. Therefore they all fail the copy protection.

This is also true for Mr. Fish's website.

 

Thanks for the heads up (and for all the time working on these); the old copy on my site has been replaced with your new working copy now.