IBM PC BASIC

BASICA

The IBM Personal Computer BASIC interpreter consists of three upward compatible versions: Cassette, Disk and Advanced.

Cassette BASIC

The core is implemented in 32K ROM of IBM PC. It can be used with any amount of RAM and without booting to DOS. It's limited to save files only to cassettes.

Disk BASIC

This version has to be loaded by a DOS program (BASIC.COM) and requires 32K RAM. It offers serial communications port support.

Advanced BASIC (BASICA)

It also has to be loaded by a DOS program (BASICA.COM) but requires at least 48K RAM for more advanced functionality.

Versions

Cassette

• 1981: C1.00 - in early IBM PC with 16k-64k planar
• 1982: C1.10 - in later IBM PC, PC XT, PC AT and PS/2
• 1984: C1.20 - only in PCjr

Disk & Advanced

• 1981: Release 1.0
• 1982: Release 1.10
• 1988: 3.40

Last version of BASIC/BASICA was shipped included with IBM DOS 5.02 product in 1992. So it is still a part of OS/2 2.x MVDM but only usable on machines with appropriate ROM e.g. IBM PS/2.

Publications

• IBM PC Hardware Reference Library BASIC - 2nd Edition (May 1982)

Links

• ibmbasica340.zip - alternate version that also runs on clone machines