TRS-80 model 3 BASIC where and how?

[Theory5]

You all know that I got my TRS-80 model 3 up and running, now I want to learn how to program it. Where would I learn BASIC that works on the TRS-80? does anyone have any good sites where I can learn basic? please tell me.

[alexander]

81.06.05: The Basics of BASIC

 

all praise Google

[CraigD]

As references go, TRS-80 Model 1 Level 2 BASIC Language Reference looks pretty good (though it’s missing a bit). Level 2 BASIC is what you’ve got – if you manage to get TRSDOS on a floppy, and startup without having to hold down the BREAK key, you’ll have Level 3, which basically just adds commands for using the disk.

 

For a book that gives you a guided course in programming, the Model 1 manual is hard to beat – it was written with hobbyists in mind, and is actually a good little textbook. If you search a bit, you may be able to find one online – I came up empty after just a few minutes on google, and don’t have time to keep searching just now. There are many similar books, but most all from the 1970s and 80s, so not easy to find online.

 

Compared to today’s “integrated development environments”, TRS-80s are very easy to program. You might want to start by getting the hang of an INKEY$ input poling loop, something like this:

DELETE

10 A$=INKEY$

20 IF A$=”S” THEN END

30 PRINT A$;

40 GOTO 10

RUN

 

Press a key, and the character for it is echoed on the screen. Release it, it stops. Press the S key, the program terminates.

 

Put more interesting code between the INKEY$ and the GOTO, and you can do quite a bit with this fundamental loop.

[Janus]

For a book that gives you a guided course in programming, the Model 1 manual is hard to beat – it was written with hobbyists in mind, and is actually a good little textbook. If you search a bit, you may be able to find one online – I came up empty after just a few minutes on google, and don’t have time to keep searching just now.

 

I think you might be refering to this:

 

http://www.1000bit.it/support/manuali/trs/Level%201%20Users%20Manual%20%281977%29%28David%20Lien%29%28pdf%29.pdf

[alexander]

i saw that one, janus, but i wasn't sure if he needed the manual fot the trs, or he needed an actual programming guide for basic...

 

Craig, programming trs can get pretty hectic though, if you are using the Zilog z80 assembly :)

[CraigD]

I think you might be refering to this:

 

http://www.1000bit.it/support/manuali/trs/Level%201%20Users%20Manual%20%281977%29%28David%20Lien%29%28pdf%29.pdf

That’s the one!

i saw that one, janus, but i wasn't sure if he needed the manual fot the trs, or he needed an actual programming guide for basic...

If you haven’t yet, read into it a bit – more than a specific BASIC manual or programming guide, it’s a structured textbook on programming.

 

As it states in the preface “This book is written specifically for people who don’t know anything about computers, and who don’t want to be dazzled by fancy footwork from someone who does”. Though its hard to find anyone these days who doesn’t know anything about computers, the book is still, IMHO, one of the best introductions to programming written. I highly recommend it, to people learning to program as a textbook, and to experts as an example of how to write an introductory textbook.

Craig, programming trs can get pretty hectic though, if you are using the Zilog z80 assembly :rant:

Oh, pshaw – the Z80 is a sweet processor, capable of 2 classes of neat tricks: block moves; and single instruction alternate register switching. Without the first, we wouldn't have had the Pac Man arcade game, without the second, the TS 1000, the first computer I actually purchased ($40 for a 4K version). This amazing little box both interpreted BASIC programs and generated a video signal with a single CPU, using the Z80’s register swapping capability – you could make it do the former much faster with the single BASIC command FAST, which let the screen go to static until it executed the command SLOW. I love that cheap, but elegant, old box! :phones:

[Janus]

i saw that one, janus, but i wasn't sure if he needed the manual fot the trs, or he needed an actual programming guide for basic...

 

 

This is both, check out the table of contents: