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BASIC Programming
Developer	Atari, Inc.
Publishers	Atari, Inc.
Designer	Warren Robinett[2]
Platform	Atari 2600
Release	April 1980[1]

BASIC Programming is an Atari Video Computer System (later called theAtari 2600) cartridge that teaches simple computer programming using a dialect ofBASIC. Written byWarren Robinett and released byAtari, Inc. in 1980, thisBASIC interpreter is one of a few non-game cartridges for the console. The Atari VCS'sRAM size of 128 bytes restricts the possibilities for writing programs.

TheBASIC Programming display is divided into six regions:

• Program is where instructions are typed. It has a maximum of eleven lines of code.
• Stack shows temporary results of what the program does.
• Variables stores the values of any variables that the program is using.
• Output displays any output values that the program creates.
• Status shows the amount of available memory remaining.
• Graphics contains two colored squares that can be manipulated by the program.

Input is given through two Atari keypad controllers, which came with special overlays to show how to type the different commands and letters.^[3] Programs are restricted to 64 characters in size and normally 9 lines of code, limiting the programs that can be written (users can disable all windows except Program and keep selecting "New Line" until 11 lines of code are present).

VCS BASIC supports the following keywords:^[4]

• Statements:Print
• Structure:Goto,If-Then-Else
• Graphics:Clear
• Functions:Hit,Key
• Math:+ - × ÷ Mod
• Relational operators:< > =

Unlike most BASIC implementations of the time:

• VCS BASIC uses ← instead of = for assignment; e.g.,A←A+1.
• Statements can be strung together on a line without a delimiter; e.g.,Note←APrintA.
• AnIf statement can be used as a function, returning a value:Ver1←Ver1+IfVer1Mod2Then8Else92
• If statements can take anElse clause.

Special variable names:

• Note sounds a musical note, assigned numbers from 0 to 7
  • Numbers assigned toNote are implicitly assigned modulus 8, thus 8 becomes 0, 9 becomes 1, etc.
• Hor1,Hor2 - the horizontal coordinate of one of two squares
• Ver1,Ver2 - the vertical coordinate of one of two squares

The language supports 26 unsigned integer variables A to Z. VCS BASIC supports integers from 0 to 99. Math operations wrap, so 99+1 becomes 0, 99+2 becomes 1, etc.

The following example of aPong game is provided.

1 Hor2←2+Key2IfVer1>90ThenVer1←883IfHitThenVer1←94Ver1←Ver1+IfVer1Mod2Then8Else925 Hor1←Hor1+76Goto1

• List of Atari 2600 games
• Spectravideo CompuMate
• Family BASIC

• Compumate FAQ:BASIC PROGRAMME EXAMPLES FOR ATARI 2600 (BASIC PROGRAMMING & CompuMate) at theWayback Machine (archived 23 January 2004)

• 1980 software
• Atari 2600
• BASIC interpreters
• BASIC programming language family
• Discontinued BASICs
• Video game development software

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