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BASIC is basic; however there are differences in the language based on the computer that
uses it in much the same way that English is different depending on which country it is
spoken in(Great Britain or the United States) or which part of the country the language
is spoken in(East Coast, Midwest, South or the West Coast).
The differences in the language will depend on the computer that is being used and on
the computer that produced the language for the computer manufacturer. Microsoft BASIC,
so-called because it was developed by the Microsoft Corporation of Belleview, Washington,
is found on Apple II+, IBM PC and PC jr., Laser Computers, Commodore VIC20 and
Commodore 64 and others. Other computers such as the Timex Sinclair ZX80 and the
Texas Instruments 99/4 use versions of BASIC similar to MS-BASIC.
WHAT IS A PROGRAM?
A computer program is a series of instructions that tells a computer what tasks you want
it to perform. Computer programs are written in a programming language. BASIC is one
of the languages that a human and a computer can understand, so BASIC can be used
to write a program that a computer can carry out for you.
WHY SHOULD I LEARN TO USE A COMPUTER?
Computers are going to be part of the future. Computers can do many things if they are
given instructions. For a particular job to be done, by a person or a machine, we must
specify the steps which must be done to do the job. The computer becomes an extension
of our capabilities. To do this requires us to learn how to talk to our computer.
This chapter will help you to get started. All you need is your PRECOMPUTER PRESTIGE
TM
learning unit and some time.
WHAT IS THIS CHAPTER FOR?
This chapter is a step-by-step guide for understanding programs and learning to use the
computer language called BASIC.
WHO IS THIS CHAPTER FOR?
This guide is written for students and adults who have little or no programming experience.
With a little time and effort you will discover that there is nothing difficult about learning
to talk to a computer.
WHAT IF I MAKE A MISTAKE?
Don’t worry about making a mistake. The more mistakes you make the more you will learn.
This is called discovery! The computer doesn’t care how many mistakes you make. There
is nothing you can do to damage the computer - except smashing it. Experimenting is a
very good way to make your programs do exactly what you want.
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