Omikron BASIC

The BASIC Omikron was developed as from the year 1985 for the Atari ST to function with a processor 68000. The initial editor is Artur Södler, helped of Thomas Kemp for the writing of the mathematical routines.

If the last version (5.20) for Atari goes back to 1998, it continues to be developed for the Macintosh, for which it is with version 8, always using EasyGEM.

Functionalities

The workable program of Omikron BASIC 3.01 holds in 106 KB, this lightness being due to the fact that he was written out of assembler 68000.

This BASIC is compilable in directly achievable application by the system. It takes one of these extension then: .PRG, .TOS, .APP, .TTP… The compilation combined with graphic library GEM allows even the manufacture of accessories, (.ACC), appealable of any application including/understanding a system of menu. Without being multi-task, it is thus possible, without leaving an application, to have access to other functionalities.

It can also use the mathematical coprocessors 68881/68882.

This BASIC makes it possible to exploit the library GEM.LIB (GEM installed right from the start on ST), for example by the use of a file .RSC manufactured by a manufacturer of resources.

In 1988, the library EasyGEM, same authors, is intended to simplify the handling of the windows and menus, interfacing in a simple way with the BASIC.

Compatibility

If the Omikron-BASIC wanted to be most compatible possible with the Microsoft-BASIC and the GW-BASIC, the format of the floating numbers was changed to 6 and 10 bytes. In addition, ST being conceived right from the start for an graphical interface, this BASIC was to manage neither the intensified brightness any more nor the semigraphic character set.

Among the lexical differences, the BASIC differentiates the logarithms bases 10 LOG of Napierian logarithms of it LN.

Structured programming

Omikron BASIC has loops FOR… NEXT, WHILE… WEND and REPEAT… UNTIL. Subroutines GOSUB… RETURN can be replaced by procedures, and of the function-user are definable. The functions turn over a value, number or chain, while the procedures can turn over several of them.

Programming of low level

A program written in Omikron can call routines written in machine language, by instructions CAL and USR, by specifying the address in memory where the code is located, or directly by a hexadecimal chain introduced by INLINE.

External bonds

Site of the editor (German/English)
Omikron BASIC 3.01 for Atari (French/English practical pages)

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