Extended BASIC implementation

[Maury Markowitz]

I am curious if anyone can detail how Extended BASIC worked.

 

Was it an entirely new self-contained implementation of BASIC on ROM, or did it patch the already existing ROMs with additional code?

 

I saw one video claiming it was written in TMS9900 assembler, was that true? That seems unlikely. Was it GPL code like the original?

[HOME AUTOMATION]

1 hour ago, Maury Markowitz said:

I am curious if anyone can detail how Extended BASIC worked.

 

Was it an...

I wasn't aware Extended BASIC, had died!

Too bad ...poor old programming language.

 

[RXB]

3 hours ago, Maury Markowitz said:

I am curious if anyone can detail how Extended BASIC worked.

 

Was it an entirely new self-contained implementation of BASIC on ROM, or did it patch the already existing ROMs with additional code?

 

I saw one video claiming it was written in TMS9900 assembler, was that true? That seems unlikely. Was it GPL code like the original?

There was a version of Extended Basic written in Assembly but only ran on the GENEVE, another for TI99/4A but hardly anyone uses them as the are not backwards compatible with Original XB.

RXB 2020 was just released and is in Classic99 menu to use and RXB is 100% backwards compatible with Original Extended Basic and also TI Basic.

You can also load it into FinalGROM Cart to use.

And I know how Extended Basic (XB) works as now I am working on NEW ROMs as previously I was only working in GPL as that runs from GROMs in XB.

RXB has 40K of GROM running GPL vs Original XB 24K of GROM. RXB 2021 has 40K of ROMs vs Original XB 16K of ROM.

(Note: RXB also has Editor Assembler built into it.)

2020 10 20 10 48 04 - YouTube

[Maury Markowitz]

2 hours ago, RXB said:

RXB has 40K of GROM running GPL vs Original XB 24K of GROM. RXB 2021 has 40K of ROMs vs Original XB 16K of ROM.

"Original XB 24k of GROM"... "Original XB 16K of ROM"... so did XB have both ROM and GROM for a total of 32 k?

 

[+Lee Stewart]

7 hours ago, Maury Markowitz said:

I am curious if anyone can detail how Extended BASIC works.

 

Is it an entirely new self-contained implementation of BASIC on ROM, or does it patch the already existing ROMs with additional code?

 

I saw one video claiming it was written in TMS9900 assembler, is that true? That seems unlikely. Is it GPL code like the original?

 

Extended Basic (XB) still works and is very much in wide use among us TI-99/4A enthusiasts. XB is written in GPL with a lot of TMS9900 Assembler Code (ALC) support routines just as with TI Basic (console GROM and ROM). Many GPL and ALC routines in the console are used by XB, but others are completely rewritten, most notably the RND and RANDOMIZE random number routines and the program editor. Of course, there are many new routines in the cartridge—among them are routines such as DISPLAY AT.

 

Ultimately, everything on the TI-99/4A runs in ALC. The GPL interpreter (which interprets the GPL coding of the Basic interpreters) is written in ALC and runs from the console ROM.

 

...lee

[Tursi]

1 hour ago, Maury Markowitz said:

"Original XB 24k of GROM"... "Original XB 16K of ROM"... so did XB have both ROM and GROM for a total of 32 k?

 

Yes, though only 12k of ROM in the original - only 4k was banked and 4k was fixed. Rich has been upgrading XB since the very beginning and that RXB still sees releases is testimony to his dedication

 

 

[RXB]

2 hours ago, Maury Markowitz said:

"Original XB 24k of GROM"... "Original XB 16K of ROM"... so did XB have both ROM and GROM for a total of 32 k?

 

Yes!

[apersson850]

3 hours ago, Maury Markowitz said:

"Original XB 24k of GROM"... "Original XB 16K of ROM"... so did XB have both ROM and GROM for a total of 32 k?

Your math is a bit off, though. In spite of the ROM being 12 K, not 16, 12+24 is actually 36 K. That's the amount of memory Extended BASIC added.

[RXB]

54 minutes ago, apersson850 said:

Your math is a bit off, though. In spite of the ROM being 12 K, not 16, 12+24 is actually 36 K. That's the amount of memory Extended BASIC added.

Ok I use GRAM devices and write in Assembly and GPL so I think I know GPL, GRAM, GROM and how XB works as I have a version I have produced since 1996.

First off GRAMKRACKER or GRAMULATOR do not use ROMs 4K >6000 to >6FFF with 2 banks of >7000 to >7FFF like the Original XB cart.

Thus 4K+4K+4K is 12K and GRAM devices above instead have lower 4K bank same in both 8K banks thus 16K but again lower 4K is a duplicate.

If you want the Source of the XB ROM is have posted then over the years, anyway RXB 2021 is adding 8K banks of ROM as the 4K version is way to hard to implement and manage in FINALGROM.

There is nothing stopping me from expanding that in FinalGROM for RXB 2021 to 64K of ROMs.

[+Ksarul]

Rich, I think the operative @apersson850 referred to here is that TI XB uses 12K of ROM, and that 12K when added to the 24K of GROM made the total memory of the module 36K, not just 32K as @Maury Markowitz asked about and which you confirmed as correct in post #7. The later clarifying answer was to ensure Maury understood what was in the original TI XB module--it wasn't an RXB question (something he isn't familiar with at all yet). You have seriously expanded TI XB to get to the current iteration of RXB (which I really like), but the question was about the original (and that 36K number is actually printed on the back of the box, IIRC).

[apersson850]

Yes, I referred to the original Extended BASIC cartrdige. And it's correct that TI marketed it with the 36 K ROM size back then.