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CBASIC is a fully integrated. easy to use Basic program Editor and Compiler package. CBASIC is 99% syntax compatible with Disk Extended Color Basic programs. so most Basic programs can be loaded and compiled by CBASIC with little or no changes required . The compiler is an optomizing two-pass integer Basic compiler that can convert programs written in Disk Extended Color Basic into 100% pure 6809 Machine Language programs which are written directly to disk in a LOADM compatible format.
The programs generated by the compiler can be run as complete stand alone programs. A built-in linker/ editor will automatically select one and only one copy of each subroutine that is required from the internal run-time ~brary and insert them directly in the program. This eliminates the need for cumbersome, often wastefu l separate "run-time" packages.
CBASIC WAS DESIGNED FOR BOTH
BEGINNING & ADVANCED USERS
CBASIC is a Powerful tool for the Beginner or Novice programmer as well as the Advanced Basic or Machine Language programmer. The Beginner or Novice programmer can write and compile programs without having to worry about Stack Pointers. DP registers. memory allocation, and so on, because CBASIC will handle it for you automatically. All they have to do is write their programs using the standard Basic statements and syntax. For the advanced Basic and Machine Language programmers. CBASIC will let you take command and control every aspect of your program. even generating machine code directly in a program for specialized routines or functions .
CBASIC adds many featu res not found in Color Basic. like Interrupt. Reset, and On Error handling. It also has advanced programming features that allow machine level control of the Stack and Direct Page register,. variable allocation, automatic 64K RAM control, program origin and even multiple origins. It can even have machine language code generated within a program that executes just like any other Basic program line.
FULL COMMAND SUPPORT & SPEED
CBASIC features well over 100 Basic Commands and Functions that fully support Disk. Tape, Printer and Screen I/0. It also supports ALL the High and Low Resolution Graphics. Sound. Play and String Operations available in Extended Color Basic. and all with 99.9% syntax compatibility.
CBASlC is FAST. Not only will CBASlC compiled programs execute 10 to l000 times faster than Basic, but the time
it takes to develop a CBASlC program versus writing a machine language program is much, much shorter. A machine language program that might take several months to write and debug could be created using CBASIC in a matter of days or hours, even for a well experienced machine language programmer. We had a report from a CBASIC user that claimed "a Basic program that used to take 3 hours to run, now runs in 7 to 8 minutes". Another user reported a program that took 1 to 1-1/2hours to run in Basic, now runs in 5 to 6 minutes!!!
MORE THAN JUST A COMPILER
CBAS!C has its own completely integrated Basic Program Editor. The Editor contained in CBASIC is used to Create and / or Edit programs for the compiler. It is a full featured editor with functions designed specifically for writing and editing Basic programs. It has built·in block Move and Copy functions with automatic program renumbering. Complete. easy to use inserting, deleting, extending and overtyping of existing program lines. It is also used for Loading, Saving, Appending (merging). Killing disk files and displaying a Disk Directory. It also has automatic line number generation for use when creating programs or inserting sequenciaI lines between existing lines. You can set the printer baud rate and direct normal or compiled listings to the printer for hard copy. The built·in editor makes program corrections and changes as easy as "falling off a log". If CBASIC finds an error when compiling, it points to the place in the program line where the error occurred . All you have to do is tell the editor what line you wa nt to start ed iting and when it is displayed, move the
cursor with the arrow keys to the place where the error is and correct it. Just like that. it's simple.
HI-RES & 80 COLUMN DISPLAYS
CBASIC is the only Color Basic Compiler that includes its own Hi·Resolution 51. 64 or 85 by 24 line display. It is also the only compiler that supports both the PBJ "Word-Pak" and the Double Density 80 column cards. All of these display formats are part of the standard CBASIC compiler package. Not only can these display formats be used for normal program editing and compiling, but CBAS!C will also include them in your compiled programs! If you want CBAS!C to include the display driver in your program, all you have to do is use a single CBASIC command "HIRES". The run·time display driver that CBASIC includes in your program is not just a simple display, but a full featured display package. With the Hi· Resolution display package you can mix text & graphics, change characters per line, underline, character high light, erase to end of line or screen, home cursor, home & clear screen, protect screen lines, and much more. All commands
are compatible with our HI·RES II Screen Commander so you can easily develop screen layouts using HI·RES and Color
Basic before you compile your program. The same applies to using the 80 column card drivers. What other Basic compiler
offers you this kind of flexibility?
64K RAM SUPPORT
CBASIC makes full use of the power and flexibility of the 6883 SAM (Synchronous Address Multiplexer) in the Color Computer. It will fully utilize the 96K of address space available in the Color Computer (64K installed) during program Creation. Editing and Compilation. CBASIC has a special command for automatic 64K RAM control. When used in a program, it allows the user to use the upper 32K of RAM space automatically for variables or even program storage at run·time. It will automatically switch the ROMs in and out when needed . There are also two other commands that allow you to control the upper 32K of RAM manually, under program control. No other Color Basic compiler directly supports the use of 64K RAM like CBASIC.
ALL MACHINE LANGUAGE
CBAS!C is completely written in fast efficient Machine Language. not Basic, like some other Color Basic compilers. Because of this. CBASIC can edit and compile very large programs. Even using the Hi·Resolution 51 by 24 line display, it can work with about a 34K program , and the 80 column card versions can handle almost 40K of program. Some of
the other Basic compilers can only work with 16K or about 200 lnes. Even working with large programs, CBASIC compiles programs with lightning fast speed . It will compile a 24K program to disk in less than 2 minutes! That's without a listing being generated. We've heard stories about some other compilers that take almost 10 minutes to compile a simple 2·3K program. You might inquire about this when you look at some of the other compilers available.
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THE FINISHED PRODUCT
Since CBASIC contains statements to support ALL of the l/0 devices (Disk. Tape. Screen & Prin ter). Hi· Res Graphics, Sound. and Enhanced Screen displays. it is we!! suited for a wide range of programming applications. It generates a complete. Ready to Run machine language program. The finished product or program does not have to be interfaced to a Basic program to perform some of its functions or commands. This may seem obvious to you. but some of the other Color Basic compilers don't necessarily work this way. Some of their compiler commands need a separate Basic program in order for them to work. In some cases, require that a separate Basic program be interfaced to the compiled program to perform I/O functions, like INPUT, PRINT and so on. CBASIC doesn't do this. ALL of its commands are compiled into a single machine language program that does not require any kind of Basic program to make it work.
COMPATIBILITY
You may be wondering about those statements we made earlier concerning 99% or 99.9% syntax compatibility. What does that other 1% consist of? The biggest part of that 1% has to do with string arrays and variables. CBASIC does not use a "String Pool" like Color Basic. It uses absolute memory addresses to locate string variables and arrays. This is why CBASIC's string processing is so fast, it also eliminates the time consuming "Garbage Collection" problem . When CBASlC allocates space for strings. it must know how much space to use for each string. When you Dimension a string variable in CBASIC, you must tell it how much space you want to save for each element. To Dimension an array of 40 strings, 64 characters each, you would DIM DA$(40.64) . If a string is not dimensioned. CBASIC will automatically allocate 32 bytes for it. If you want a single string to have enough room for 200 characters you would DIM AX$(200) . For string arrays, you would still access the element you want. the same as Color Basic, to get string #30 from the array DA$, you would still use DA$(30). the only real change is in the DIM statement. For undeclared string arrays of 10 elements or less. CBASIC will automatically reserve space for 10 (0-9) strings of 32 characters. In some other Color Basic compilers, you have to declare EVERY string variable used in the progrm in a DIM statement. And, to create an array of 40 strings with 64 characters each, you would have to DIM AD$(2560). a11d then to access string #30. you would have to multiply 30 x 64 and use a special variable name format or access it one character at a time. Not very compatible or convenient to use, and difficult at best.
CBASIC REQUIREMENTS
CBASIC requires a minimum of 32K RAM and at least one Disk drive . We strongly recommend that you have 64K. CBASIC is compatible with all versions of Color & Extended Basic and both Disk Basic V1.O and V41.2. Programs compiled on either system will run on systems with different ROMs. CBASIC is NOT compatible with JDOS.
DOCUMENTATION
The Documentation provided with any program is very important to the user. This is especially true when you tatk about a program as complete and complex as CBASIC. Even though CBASIC was designed to be the most User Friendly compiler on the market, we went to great lengths to provide a manual that is not only easy to use and understand. but comprehensive and complete enough for even the most sophisticated user. The manual included with CBASIC consists of approximately 120 pages of real information, not like some manuals that put just one or two short paragraphs on a page. If we did it that way, we could have easily created a three or four hundred page manual. The manual index breaks down each section of the manual and gives a 3 or 4 word description of each section and its items along with page numbers. The manual has three sections. the Editor, Compiler and Appendix. Each of these is divided into subsections, with Section and Subsection titles printed at the top of each page . If you want to, you could find the information you are looking for by simply flipping through the pages and scanning the Section titles on the top of the pages. The Manual itself is an 81/2" by 11" Spiral Bound book with durable leather textured covers. Some of the reports we have had from CBASIC users describe the manual as being the Best program manual they have ever used.
COMPARE THE DIFFERENCE
CBASIC is not just another Color Basic Compiler. It is the only complete Basic Compiler System for the Color Computer. Compare CBASIC's features to what other compilers offer and you'll see the difference. When comparing CBASIC to other compilers. you might want to keep some of these questions in mind. Does it support I/O functions? You can't write much of a program without PRINT. INPUT and so on. What about complex string statements, or string statements at all? How ~19" of a program can you write' Can you compile a complex string like: MID$(RIGHT$(DA$(VAL(IN$),LEN(LE$)).3.3)? Can you use two character variable names for string & numeric variables. like Basic, Does it support all the Hi·Res graphics statements including PLAY, DRAW, GET and PUT, using the same syntax as Basic? Do you ever have to use a separate Basic program? Can you take complete Basic programs and compile them without extensive changes? Will they work? How do you edit a program when it has errors compiling?
PRICE VERSUS PERFORMANCE
The price of CBASIC is $149.00. lt is the most expensive Color Basic Compiler on the market. and well worth the investment. We spent over 2 years writing and refining CBASIC, to make it the Best, most Compatible Color Basic compiler available. Most of our CBASIC users already bought on or more of the other compilers on the market and have since discarded them. We even traded in a few of them. If you want a cheap compiler, we'll sell you one of those traded in, at a good price. Before you buy a compiler. compare the performance of CBASIC against any Color Basic compiler. Dollar for Dollar. CBASIC gives you more than any other Color Basic compiler available .
ORDERING INFORMATION
Phone and Address Information are No Longer Valid
To order CBASIC by mail, send check or money order in the amount of $149.00 plus $3.00 for shipping and handling to the address listed below.
To order by VISA, MASTERCARD or COD, call us at: 1-7021 452-xxxx (Monday thru Saturday, 8am to 5pm. PST).
CER-COMP
5566 Ricochet Ave.
Las Vegas, NV 89110
(702) 452-xxxx
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