Commodore Free 5/Commodore_Free_Issue_05_2007_Commodore_Computer_Club.d64/t.loadstar

Text File | 2023-02-26 | 6KB | 194 lines

uLOADSTAR ANNOUNCES DOTBASIC PLUS

DotBASIC Plus (DB+) is a new software
development system that makes mouse
controlled programming on the C-64 a
snap -- even for those who only know
BASIC 2.0. Over 90 commands are
available in the DotBASIC Library --
from Print At to Multi-Select
Scrolling Menus to worry-free bitmap
graphics and SIDPlayer music.

The mouse, and all the information the
mouse can generate, is built-in. And
Do-Loops makes using the mouse
extremely easy. Add pull-down menus,
rollover buttons, and dialog boxes to
make your C-64 act like a brand new
computer.

Most BASIC Enhancements require
loading and running a system program
which reconfigures the machine. Only
then can you load your own program and
use the extended commands. DB+ loads
and runs on a default C-64. And when
the program is finished, a simple
command returns all pointers to BASIC
2.0.

Moreover, DB+ includes only the
commands you need for your project.
Like "big-time" languages, each
command is a stand-alone programming
object linked to your DB+ code as you
develop your project. If you want
bitmap graphics or SIDPlayer music,
memory is automatically set aside. It
such are not necessary for your work,
the memory is open for other uses.

The powerful Rack command turns a text
file, bloaded under ROM, into a
virtual array. And .PUTSTR allows
string data to be tucked under ROM or
even I/O and quickly indexed for use
in your program. Sprites are fully
"objectified," with full control and
reporting from one multi-function DB+
command.

The project-creating program,
B.DOTBASIC, puts everything you will
need on your work disk using the name
of your project -- then loads and runs
the the "template" program. Add
commands in the same way you "include"
files in C or C++, linking them to
your DB+ code with B.DEV, which
collects the needed program objects,
saves the file to your work disk, then
loads and runs your program.And, at
any time, you can list all the
commands currently available in your
DB+ program. Every command is
"selfdocumented" with syntax
information that's just a SYS away.

Since DB+ uses program objects, the
list of commands in our library (now
at 90) is limited only by the
imagination of ML coders. Each command
but be fully relocatable, but one
object can "call" another. Several
commands can share data. And local
data is easy to use -- even in
relocatable code, thanks to the DB+
system.

DB+ will premiere on LOADSTAR 248
(probably available the first week in
March), with a "beginner's library" of
commands. In subsequent issues, other
program objects and utilities will be
published to give the full power of
the C-64 to BASIC programmers.

Those interested can get a D81
download of the current library and
system from just $8 (US). PayPal to
[e-mail], and put "DB+" in the
description area.

Dave Moorman

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HOBBYIST PROGRAMMING: THE JOY OF C-64
by Dave Moorman

For some, the C-64 is a badge of
independence from the every new
commercial consumer computer market.
For others, it is a marvelous
excursion back to a simpler time of
computing. For me, the C-64 is my
domain, where I can create anything I
can imagine.

I am a hobbyist programmer and have
been since July 3, 1979. I enjoy
telling bits and bytes exactly what to
do. And there is no better place to do
it than on a C-64.

First of all, BASIC 2.0 is an easy
language to grasp. Anyone with a mind
for logic can make great things happen
in BASIC. True, BASIC 2.0 lacks some
commands that would more fully exploit
the potential of the C-64. But then
again, such a limitation can be
overcome by advancing to a BASIC
Extension (like DotBASIC Plus), or
learning some simple POKEs, PEEKs, and
SYSes. BASIC 2.0 does not trap the
programmer -- it taps the programmer's
understanding of the incredible
resources available in the stock
machine.

Then, one can advance into the world
of "modules," 4-7K chunks of ML that
put boxes on the screen, do menus,
play music and sound effects, display
and draw bitmap graphics, and even
perform split-screen effects. LOADSTAR
has published a great number of such
toolboxes and other modules, and all
that is needed is some understanding
of memory management and a willingness
to read and experiment.

The final frontier is machine language
programming - - writing in DNA! The
simplicity of the instructions forces
very careful logic. But with ML, I
have Absolute Power over my computer.
No one stands between me and the
machine! But, my experience is that
Absolute Power comes with Absolute
Responsibility. When the machine does
exactly what I told it to -- as
opposed to what I wanted it to do -- I
have no one to blame but myself.

And it is this essential
Responsibility that is so needed in
the world today. Our public schools
teach the mechanics of keyboarding,
word-processing, spread-sheeting, and
other "useful" tasks. And as
preparation for work out in the real
world, this is quite right and proper.
But there is a creative magic in
programming that seems to be missing
in our kids' environment -- a lack of
imaginative exploration and, as Bill
Gates called it, the joy of
unequivocal success.

For nothing one can do alone feels as
good as grinding through dozens of
really pissy logic problems until the
code works exactly as desired. And
when that happens, the programmer
knows real JOY!

And while this is true for programming
on any computer, the C-64 is the
perfect place for the devoted
hobbyist. It is big enough to do (or
at least model) anything
computational, yet is blessed with a
tidy finitude. Programming on the C-64
is like writing a sonnet or haiku. The
limitations demand greater skill and
thought. And the results are, at the
very least, loaded with the joy of
unequivocal success!


...end...