Atari 800 User Manual

Introduction to Atari BASIC 43
Error Messages
When the Atari encounters a statement with an error, an error
message will be displayed. The error message consists of the
following .
ERROR- mess age
message can be
the statement causing the error or a diagnostic
error message number . These error numbers are
listed in
Appendix A.
BASIC Data Types
Data can be classified under two major categories: text and
numeric. Text data consists of characters. These characters are
generally used
within strings.
Examples
of numeric data include:
Integers
Floating Point Numbers
Scientific Notation
Each of these data types will be discussed in the following
sections.
Strings
A string consists of one or more characters enclosed within
double quotation marks. The following are examples of strings :
"F. Scott Fitzgerald"
"149
Lexington Ave"
"New York, NY 10017"
"212-349-9879"
Notice that a string can contain both letters, numbers, and
symbols.
Any string containing numb e rs can not be used in a
mathematical
operation, unless it is first converted into numeric
data. String to numeric data conversion is covered in Chapter 4.

Atari 800 Specifications

General

Processor	MOS Technology 6502
Processor Speed	1.79 MHz
ROM	10 KB
Graphics	ANTIC and GTIA chips
Release Year	1979
Display Resolution	up to 320 x 192
Colors	128 colors
Sound	4 channels
Storage	Cartridge, cassette, floppy disk
Ports	Cartridge, serial, monitor
Operating System	Atari OS