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0 pointsrsecora5y ago0 comments

Commodore licensed BASIC from Microsoft in 1977.

You have the original ASM disassembled, ROM, kernal and comments at https://www.pagetable.com/c64ref/c64disasm/

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7 comments · 3 top-level

pvg5y ago· 4 in thread

That's a neat site. Does that mean there are no public/surviving original comments of the C64 BASIC and kernal?

rsecoraOP5y ago

The dissembled ROM and mappings has been documented since the 80s. (Vic20, PET, 64 and 128).

My references (35 years) ago were some books published by Data Becker GmbH.

Note also that there were basic extensions to address the limitations of CBM basic like the Simon basic cartridge.

That Simon basic was a wonder in their own. Written by a gifted teenager and extending by mapping addresses in the ROM. It was possible to write sprites and graph in basic without pokes (no ASM needed).

pvg5y ago

Right but the disassembled commentaries are not written by the people who originally wrote the code, so if that site is to be believed the 'original' comments and source are not around for things like the kernal and other Commodore-specific bits. It seems like an odd thing not to have surfaced given that by this point we have things like OG Quickdraw and Karateka code.

Edit: I missed the comment downthread that says that some of that code was released a couple of years ago.

beernutz5y ago

Yes, Simons basic really rocked my world! So many commands and cool things to play with! Inspired me to write my own "basic" extensions and burn them to a prom to make my own cartridge. Though things were much more primitive, it was fun getting such a low level look at everything.

exlurker5y ago

Yes; the original sources were found a few years back: https://www.pagetable.com/?p=894

photokandy5y ago

(OP Here)

I've used pagetable.com quite a lot for reference to see how things were done in CBM BASIC. I didn't always follow that direction (also looked at GW-BASIC, and others), but it has proven very useful to either set me on a well-trod direction or to validate ideas I'd already had.

MrYellowP5y ago

Try this one: https://github.com/mist64/cbmbasic

Or, although not what you asked: https://github.com/microsoft/GW-BASIC

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