[Info-vax] BASIC compiler in the hobbyist distribution

[Paul Sture]

On 2015-05-26, David Froble <davef at tsoft-inc.com> wrote:
> seasoned_geek wrote:
>> On Tuesday, May 26, 2015 at 11:58:03 AM UTC-5, David Froble wrote:
>>> Unless you were running ROSS/V you were not running any Basic 
>>> interpreter on VAX that I'm aware of.  Basic Plus is an interpreter.  On 
>>> VAX Basic they implemented "incremental compilation".  Ok, someone point 
>>> out that that that is pretty much what an interpreter does.  My 
>>> understanding it that it's not.
>> 
>> I don't know what it was called. Few of those brain cells still
>> exist, but it was when I was on VAX 11/730 and 11/750. That was a
>> loooooong time ago. It was basically the same little environment as
>> what I was used to on the PDP 11/70.
>
> At first BP2 was used in compatibility mode on the early VAXs.  Then VAX 
> Basic was developed, mainly by Kirby Altman, who seems to have dropped 
> completely off the radar.  He was also instrumental in the development 
> of the DLM.
>
> I remember one DECUS, with a panel of the VMS developers.  Kirby must 
> have been some kind of "peacenik".  There was a discussion about bug 
> checks, or something like that.  Kirby muttered something about the 
> final holocast because of a bug check.  Another developer came right 
> back with "at least it won't come from Basic".  Must have been some 
> rivalry there.

I distinctly remember an ex-RSTS guy crashing our 11/780 with a system
call from BASIC. :-)

That was back in VMS V2.n days.  I can't remember which version of
Basic he was using but it could well have been the compatibility mode
one.

-- 
I don't know what the language of the year 2000 will look like, but I
know it will be called Fortran.                    -- Tony Hoare 1982