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Sinclair BASIC history: Difference between revisions

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Various "enhancements" were made to the BASIC over the years, including the extra syntax of the shadow ROM introduced with the Sinclair Interface I, and in the United States in 1983 when an attempt was made to overhaul the BASIC by Timex when it launched its [[Timex 2000 series|TS2068]]. But again, the version of the ROM launched with the machine was incomplete, and the TS2068 was unable to run the majority of Spectrum software because of hard-coded calls to locations in the ROM which were different in the Spectrum.
Various "enhancements" were made to the BASIC over the years, including the extra syntax of the shadow ROM introduced with the Sinclair Interface I, and in the United States in 1983 when an attempt was made to overhaul the BASIC by Timex when it launched its [[Timex 2000 series|TS2068]]. But again, the version of the ROM launched with the machine was incomplete, and the TS2068 was unable to run the majority of Spectrum software because of hard-coded calls to locations in the ROM which were different in the Spectrum.


In 1985, in a joint venture with its Spanish distributor Investronica, Sinclair launched the [[ZX Spectrum+ 128K]], codenamed Derby, with a new editor bolted on to the original BASIC. This was slightly more compatible than the Timex effort but the editor was bug ridden, and some software refused to work, even in 48 mode, because the empty space at the end of the original ROM, used as a table by some programs, was now overwritten with extra code.
In 1985, in a joint venture with its Spanish distributor [[Investrónica]], Sinclair launched the [[ZX Spectrum+ 128K]], codenamed Derby, with a new editor bolted on to the original BASIC. This was slightly more compatible than the Timex effort but the editor was bug ridden, and some software refused to work, even in 48 mode, because the empty space at the end of the original ROM, used as a table by some programs, was now overwritten with extra code.


It did introduce some useful new commands and a built-in text editor, although inexplicably these were replaced with a menu system with less functionality in the English version of the machine launched the following year. However, criticism of the 128 Editor must be put in context. The programmers were relying on the Logan & O'Hara disassembly of the original ROM published by Melbourne House, since if Sinclair ever had a copy of the original source by now it had been lost, and were working on a DEC VAX-11/780 machine running CP/M on an expansion card[http://www.zdnet.com/article/the-zx-spectrum-birthday-memories/].
It did introduce some useful new commands and a built-in text editor, although inexplicably these were replaced with a menu system with less functionality in the English version of the machine launched the following year. However, criticism of the 128 Editor must be put in context. The programmers were relying on the Logan & O'Hara disassembly of the original ROM published by Melbourne House, since if Sinclair ever had a copy of the original source by now it had been lost, and were working on a DEC VAX-11/780 machine running CP/M on an expansion card[http://www.zdnet.com/article/the-zx-spectrum-birthday-memories/].