Simons' BASIC
BASIC program memory is reduced by the 8KB used by the cartridge.
Original author	David Simons
Developer	Commodore
Initial release	1983; 43 years ago (1983)
Operating system	Commodore 64
Type	Extension

Simons' BASIC^[1] is anextension toBASIC 2.0 for theCommodore 64 home computer. Written byBritish programmer David Simons in 1983, who was 16 years old at the time, it was distributed byCommodore as acartridge.

It is widely, but incorrectly, called "Simon's BASIC", because of confusion between the first name "Simon" and thesurname "Simons".

Simons' BASIC added an array of features to Commodore BASIC 2.0:^[2]

• 114 additionalkeywords
• commands to ease the coding ofsprites
• commands to ease the coding of high-resolution and multicolorgraphics
• commands to ease the coding ofsound
• commands to aid instructured programming
• keywords to assist in writing and editing BASIC programs, similar to those in theVIC-20 Programmer's Aid cartridge

Programs written in Simons' BASIC could employhexadecimal numbers in assignments and calculations by including a$ prefix, orbinary numbers by utilizing a% prefix.

Because a portion of the cartridge data ismapped into memory at addresses$8000–$9FFF, which overlaps part of the standard C64 BASICRAM, the amount of available memory for BASIC programs was8 KB less than that of a standard C64 configuration.

An extension was written by Simons and released by Commodore onfloppy disk and tape as Simons' Basic Extension. This software is also known as Simons' Basic 2. It could not be released on cartridge because the original Simons' Basic cartridge had to be present in order to use the extension. Simons' Basic Extension adds another 91 commands including the much-covetedRENUMBER command which renumbers the destinations ofGOTO andGOSUB statements.^[3]

• MOB SET – enables a sprite and defines its attributes
• MMOB – positions a sprite on the screen
• RLOCMOB – causes a sprite to smoothly move from one location to another
• CMOB – sets up the two global colors for multicolor sprites
• MOB OFF – disables a sprite
• DETECT – initializes sprite collision detection
• CHECK – checks for a sprite collision

• HIRES – initializes a high-resolution graphics mode
• MULTI – initializes a multicolor graphics mode
• NRM – returns to the text display
• LOW COL – changes the plotting colors
• HI COL – returns to the original plotting colors
• PLOT – draws a pixel
• LINE – draws a line
• CIRCLE – draws a circle
• ARC – draws an arc
• ANGL – draws the radius of a circle
• PAINT – performs a flood fill
• REC – draws a hollow rectangle
• BLOCK – draws a solid rectangle
• DRAW – draws a user-defined set of lines
• ROT – sets scaling factors forDRAW
• CHAR – plots a text character on a high-resolution screen
• TEXT – plots a text string on a high-resolution screen
• TEST – determines whether a pixel is plotted or empty

• COLOUR – sets the background and border colors; the British spelling is used
• CSET – selects a character set
• MEM – copies character ROM to RAM
• BCKGNDS – configures extended background color mode
• FLASH – sets up a screen color to flash
• OFF – cancels a previousFLASH directive
• BFLASH – causes the screen border to flash
• FCHR – fills an area of the text screen with a given character code
• FCOL – changes character colors for a selected area of the screen
• FILL – a combination ofFCHR andFCOL
• MOVE – copies a section of the screen
• INV – displays a screen area in reverse
• LEFT – scrolls the screen left
• RIGHT – scrolls the screen right
• UP – scrolls the screen up
• DOWN – scrolls the screen down
• GRAPHICS – reserved variable that always equals $D000 (theVIC-II chip's base address)
• SCRSV – saves a text screen to tape or disk
• SCRLD – loads a text screen from tape or disk

• MUSIC – plays a series of notes based on the contents of a string variable
• PLAY – determines whether the program continues to run duringMUSIC
• VOL – specifies the master sound volume
• WAVE – specifies a voice type
• ENVELOPE – setsADSR parameters for aSID voice
• SOUND – reserved variable that always equals $D400 (the SID chip's base address)

• FETCH – takes user input with restrictions defined by the command
• INKEY – checks for a function key press
• ON KEY – checks for a given keypress, then performs a branch if present
• DISABLE – disables the previousON KEY directive
• RESUME – reenables the previousON KEY directive

• JOY – reads ajoystick
• POT – reads apaddle
• PENX – reads thelight pen'shorizontal position
• PENY – reads the light pen's vertical position

• @ – describes one line in a sprite or custom character graphic
• DESIGN – uses neighbouring@ lines to define a sprite or custom character

• ON ERROR – sets up a routine to trap error conditions
• OUT – ends an error handling routine
• NO ERROR – cancelsON ERROR and restores normal BASIC error handling

• DIR – displays the disk directory without destroying the BASIC program in memory (Drive #8 only)
• DISK – sends a string to the disk drive's command channel (Drive #8 only)

• HRDCPY – sends the text screen to theprinter
• COPY – sends the high-resolution screen to the printer

• INSERT – inserts one string into the middle of another (Note: There is no dollar sign afterINSERT, unlike other string operators such asSTR$,LEFT$,RIGHT$, etc.)
• INST – similar toINSERT, but overwrites rather than inserting. (Note: As withINSERT, there is no dollar sign afterINST.)
• PLACE – searches for one string in the middle of another
• DUP – duplicates a character string a given number of times. (Note: As withINSERT, there is no dollar sign afterDUP.)

• PRINT AT – prints a string at a given screen location
• CENTRE – centers a character string on the screen; the British spelling is used
• USE – formats numeric data in strings based on a template, just likePRINT USING on other advanced versions of BASIC on other computers, e.g. theCommodore 128, for example.
• LIN – returns the vertical position of the cursor

Note: These operations are restricted to values that fit into a 16-bit unsigned integer, instead of the full floating-point range used by the built-in BASIC arithmetic operations and functions.

• MOD – performs a division operation and returns the remainder
• DIV – performs a division operation and returns the integer quotient
• FRAC – isolates the fractional portion of a number
• EXOR – performs an exclusive-OR logical operation

• AUTO – automatically generates line numbers as a BASIC program is entered
• RENUMBER – renumbers a BASIC program (but does not fixGOTO/GOSUB statements.)
• OLD – undeletes a program accidentally removed by theNEW command
• KEY – assigns a string as amacro to afunction key
• DISPLAY – displays all function key macros
• MERGE – merges a BASIC program from tape or disk into the program currently in memory
• PAGE – displays a BASIC program listing in page format
• OPTION – highlightsSimons' BASIC keywords when using theLIST command
• DELAY – varies the rate at which theLIST command scrolls the screen
• FIND – searches the program for a string
• TRACE – displays the line numbers as a program is running
• RETRACE – displays results of a trace
• DUMP – displays all variable values except for arrays
• COLD – resets the C64

• DISAPA – marks a BASIC program line for hiding
• SECURE – hides all lines marked withDISAPA so that they cannot be viewed withLIST

• ELSE – allows an alternative branch forIF/THEN conditionals
• REPEAT – start of aREPEAT/UNTIL loop structure
• UNTIL – defines the loop condition for aREPEAT/UNTIL loop structure, and marks its end
• RCOMP – reinstates the most recently usedIF/THEN/ELSE conditional
• LOOP – defines the start of a loop that will run until anEXIT IF conditional is true
• EXIT IF – the conditional is true, so it exits the currentLOOP/END LOOP structure
• END LOOP – defines the end of a loop that will run until anEXIT IF conditional is true
• PROC – defines the start of a named subroutine
• END PROC – defines the end of a named subroutine
• CALL – jump to a named subroutine defined withPROC/END PROC, and stay there
• EXEC – call a named subroutine defined withPROC/END PROC, then return
• LOCAL – redefines variables for use in structures
• GLOBAL – reverses the effects of a previousLOCAL command

• CGOTO – equivalent toGOTO, but accepts calculated expressions
• RESET – moves theDATA pointer to a given line number
• PAUSE – pauses program execution for a specified number of seconds

• $ and% are also considered keywords, for a total of 114.

The bandBarcelona titled their 1999 debut albumSimon Basic in tribute. The album includes the song "C-64".

Creative Computing stated that Simons' BASIC "almost makes the 64 into a new computer. (Probably the one it should have been in the first place.)" It praised the "very fine manual" as a contrast to Commodore's usually poor documentation, and predicted that it would become "the standard language for programming the machine … Commodore had better be planning to manufacture lots of copies because they will go fast".^[4]Ahoy! wrote "If you do any programming in BASIC and should happen to see this product on a dealer's shelf, do not ask any questions—do not hesitate—just buy it!" The magazine praised Simons' BASIC's power and "excellent manual", and stated that "its price makes it one of the biggest bargains available for the Commodore 64".^[5]RUN's review was less favorable, stating that its "many powerful and useful commands … were, unfortunately, implemented very poorly for a commercial package. There is very little command parameter checking, and many things have been overlooked or ignored."^[6]

The original SIMONS' BASIC cartridge (without the extension) has no provisions for reading the error channel on theCommodore 1541 andCommodore 1571 disk drives, nor can it perform a DIRectory listing of files or issue a DISK command on any disk drive other than Drive #8 when more than one disk drive is connected to the Commodore 64. And while most "standard" BASIC 2.0 keywords can be abbreviated by typing the first or first and second letters and then holding down the SHIFT key while typing the second (or third) letter after that, all SIMONS' BASIC keywords must be completely spelled out in full exactly as shown in the accompanying user's manual. This includes the commands COLOUR (which selects the background color and exterior border color), and CENTRE (which prints text message that are "centered" on the screen), both of which are spelled as in British English and are incorporated that way into SIMONS' BASIC.

• Simons' Basic User Guide on Internet Archive by David Simons, Commodore Computers, 1983. Downloadable as PDF.
• Simons' Basic Italian Reference Guide by David Simons, Commodore Editor, 1983.
• Lemon64 Forum topic with some informal information from David Simons himself.

• 1983 software
• Commodore 64 software
• BASIC extensions
• Commodore software

• Articles with short description
• Short description is different from Wikidata