[HN Gopher] Colecovision BASIC compiler: CVBasic v0.1.0
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       Colecovision BASIC compiler: CVBasic v0.1.0
        
       Author : nanochess
       Score  : 60 points
       Date   : 2024-03-01 18:04 UTC (4 hours ago)
        
 (HTM) web link (forums.atariage.com)
 (TXT) w3m dump (forums.atariage.com)
        
       | pjmlp wrote:
       | Looks quite nice, and in tune with was common to use on Z80s. :)
        
       | hnthrowaway0328 wrote:
       | Getting an alpha version done in two days is a pretty mighty
       | accomplishment. Congratulationa!
       | 
       | I have been working on a learning project to produce an
       | interpreter of a sub set of Python written in Python (most
       | arithmetic ops, assignment ops, if-elif-else, while-break,
       | function calls) and it took me about 2 months to complete it in
       | my free time.
       | 
       | I wish I could be more focused and motivated.
        
         | nanochess wrote:
         | Thanks! It was coded fast because I reused parts of my
         | IntyBASIC compiler like the lexer, the expression analyzer, and
         | the decision statements core (GOTO/GOSUB/WHILE/WEND etc). The
         | first version of IntyBASIC took me almost two months to be
         | ready.
        
         | ikari_pl wrote:
         | for which platform?
        
           | hnthrowaway0328 wrote:
           | My interpreter? Oh it's just a simple frontend. My plan is to
           | first convert it to an ast tree walker, and then add a
           | backend for some vintage platform. I am also thinking about
           | generating llvm IR as it makes it trivial for the backends.
           | 
           | I knew nothing about compiler theory so it took me way too
           | much time to implement break and function call correctly.
        
       | jonstewart wrote:
       | Awesome! I did my first programming on my dad's ADAM, which came
       | with an introductory BASIC book.
        
         | jhbadger wrote:
         | The ADAM's SmartBasic was interesting in that it was
         | specifically designed to be as close as possible to Applesoft
         | on the Apple II given how common the Apple was in US schools in
         | the early-mid 1980s.
        
       | behringer wrote:
       | Sorry but this is not the first Colecovision BASIC compiler.
       | ugBASIC supports colecovision:
       | https://ugbasic.iwashere.eu/targets
        
         | dang wrote:
         | Ok, we've reverted the title above. Submitted title was "First
         | Colecovision BASIC compiler (Z80) now available"
        
           | nanochess wrote:
           | Thanks. I stand corrected.
        
             | behringer wrote:
             | Still pretty cool, and it's probably he first dedicate to
             | and custom tailored to the Coleco! Come hang out with us
             | BASIC folks over on discord if you use it
             | https://discord.gg/jS6Jx8yJQP
             | 
             | We have a few BASIC creators (and of course users) over
             | here including Marco who created ugBASIC.
        
       | Agingcoder wrote:
       | I love this kind of tool. I often wonder what people would have
       | done back in the days with it !
        
       | tombert wrote:
       | I've debated making a game for the Coleco just because it was
       | substantially less limited than the Atari 2600, but still old
       | enough to be interesting. The fact that I'd have to do it in
       | assembly was the big turn-off there, so playing with BASIC might
       | be more fun.
       | 
       | I'd be super interested in trying a FORTH system as well, if
       | anyone knows of something like that for the Coleco.
        
       | jhbadger wrote:
       | BTW, the author of this earlier created IntyBasic, a Basic
       | compiler for the Mattel Intellivision
       | (https://intellivisionrevolution.com/intybasic). And the famous
       | "nanochess" tiny chess engine (hence his user name of nanochess)
        
       | ubavic wrote:
       | Great job!
       | 
       | I am actually thinking these days about building a BASIC compiler
       | for another Z80 retro machine (Galaksija). But I am a little bit
       | afraid about the machine code generation part. How hard was it to
       | target Z80?
        
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       (page generated 2024-03-01 23:00 UTC)