BASIC
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From the mid-1970s through the early 1980s, BASIC was known in print not only through manuals and books that explicitly taught and specified the language; it was also known through collections of programs that appeared in magazines and in books. | From the mid-1970s through the early 1980s, BASIC was known in print not only through manuals and books that explicitly taught and specified the language; it was also known through collections of programs that appeared in magazines and in books. | ||
| − | '''MAGAZINES''' | + | Of the many computer magazines featuring BASIC programs, one, ''Dr. Dobb's,'' has already been discussed. Others that trafficked in BASIC and catered to BASIC learners and aficionados alike included ''Byte'', ''Creative Computing'', ''Compute!'', ''RUN'', and ''Rainbow.'' ''Creative Computing'' was a significant early magazine for microcomputer users. Founded by David H. Ahl, who also wrote some ground-breaking books, ''Creative Computing'' focused on publishing for the home computer hobbyist. It was launched in 1974 and was published until 1985. |
| − | By the 1970s, the practice of turning to electronics and computer magazines was common. Ziff-Davis’s ''Popular Electronics'', launched in 1954, became perhaps the first broadly available computer magazine. It developed a strong following among computer specialists and hobbyists alike, and because of its success was only the first of Ziff-Davis’s magazines about computer technologies over the next five decades. In the early 1970s the magazine’s format grew to letter-size (8.5 x 11 in), and the magazine’s tagline "World's Largest Selling Electronics Magazine" would grace its cover. Many claim that the image of the new Altair computer on the January 1975 issue of ''Popular Electronics'' triggered the age of home computing. Not even a decade later, in November 1982, ''Popular Electronics'' was renamed; under the name ''Computers & Electronics'', the magazine reviewed hardware and software products. | + | ''RUN'' was a monthly magazine published by IDG Communications. The first issue of ''RUN'' was published as ''Creative Computing'' was winding down, in 1984. Like many later-phase microcomputer magazines, ''RUN'' was platform specific: It focused on the Commodore 62 and VIC-20. A German edition of ''RUN'' was published as well, and ''ReRUN'' disks made programs in the magazine available for purchase in machine-readable format. ''Compute!'' was a major home computing magazine, published from 1979 to 1994, which began as ''Pet Gazette,'' a 1978 magazine put together by Len Lindsay that was specific to the Commodore PET computer. In July 1983, the magazine launched a spin-off publication, ''COMPUTE!'s Gazette,'' which was for Commodore 64 and VIC-20 owners specifically and included programs for these computers. In the UK there were several other magazines for Commodore users, including ''Zzap! 64'', ''Commodore User'', and ''Commodore Format''. The last of these, which focused on the Commodore 64, published its first issue on a surprisingly late date, October 1990. This magazine was not about BASIC or learning to program, however. It focused on gaming and offered game news, reviews, and cheats, with its "Powerpack" tape including full games and demos for subscribers to run. |
| − | During that same decade, spurred by the growth of home computing as well as nurturing it, many other computer magazines came and went. Several, however, are worth mentioning here because they trafficked in BASIC and catered to BASIC learners and aficionados alike – namely ''Byte'', ''Commodore Magazine'', ''Creative Computing'', ''Run'', ''Rainbow'', and ''Dr. DOBBS''. These magazines, which themselves changed over the years, offer a window into the range of BASIC users and programs as well as reviews and discussion of new hardware and software that be and remain of interest to BASIC-using communities. | + | Almost every book transmitting information of BASIC in the 1970s could be characterized as educational, although few of them were written for use in formal classes. These books explained, illustrated, and provided code for applications that users could enter, test and alter. |
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| − | ''Creative Computing'' was an early magazine in the world of micro-computing. Founded by David H. Ahl, who also wrote some ground-breaking books [later], ''Creative Computing'' focused on publishing for the home computer hobbyist; launched in 1974, it survived until 1985. ''Run'' was a monthly magazine published by IDG Communications that didn’t start publication until 1984 and devoted itself to all things Commodore. There was also a German edition on ''RUN''. ''Rainbow'' Magazine was a monthly magazine for the TRS-80 Color Computer, and it was published from July 1981 to May 1993. Rainbow featured "Rainbow on Tape" and "Rainbow" on Disk services to supplement the type-in programs the magazine offered. The offerings of the magazines included type-in programs, recipes, and math games. ''Byte'' was a monthly magazine with wide-ranging coverage that appeared first in September 1975 on the heels of the early personal computers manufactured and sold as kits. It survived under several owners until 1998. | ||
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| − | '''BOOKS''' | ||
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| − | Almost every book transmitting information of BASIC in the 1970s could be characterized as educational — that is, they explained, illustrated, and provided code for applications that users could enter, test and alter. | ||
David H. Ahl's compilation, ''101 Basic Computer Games'', was first published in 1973 by the Digital Equipment Corporation (DEC). Though not the first book of computer games, it was the first to collect only games in BASIC. It contains a listing of games, a sample run of each game, and usually a short description of each game. It also acknowledges each game's author(s) and lays out other sources if the game has been transformed from a previously known game. The program's "computer limitations" are also described so users understand the hardware requirements. Illustrations, courtesy of ''Mad Magazine'' among others, punctuate the presentation, usually between this modicum of contextual information and the program's listing. The game's titles are abbreviated into names that are no longer than six characters long -- e.g. ACEYDU for "Acey Ddeucy CArd Game"; AMAZIN for "Draw a Maze"; or POET for "Random Poetry (Haiku)." The book's table of contents comprises three columns: a list of game name tags in alphabetical order, a column bearing a single-line description of the game, and a page number where the game's actual title accompanies the game's name tag along the top of the page. The book’s preface makes a point of teasing out the educational value of games, the need for “unguided learning,” especially if one considers the value of creating games, not just playing them. The games in this book were submitted for compilation by many authors. | David H. Ahl's compilation, ''101 Basic Computer Games'', was first published in 1973 by the Digital Equipment Corporation (DEC). Though not the first book of computer games, it was the first to collect only games in BASIC. It contains a listing of games, a sample run of each game, and usually a short description of each game. It also acknowledges each game's author(s) and lays out other sources if the game has been transformed from a previously known game. The program's "computer limitations" are also described so users understand the hardware requirements. Illustrations, courtesy of ''Mad Magazine'' among others, punctuate the presentation, usually between this modicum of contextual information and the program's listing. The game's titles are abbreviated into names that are no longer than six characters long -- e.g. ACEYDU for "Acey Ddeucy CArd Game"; AMAZIN for "Draw a Maze"; or POET for "Random Poetry (Haiku)." The book's table of contents comprises three columns: a list of game name tags in alphabetical order, a column bearing a single-line description of the game, and a page number where the game's actual title accompanies the game's name tag along the top of the page. The book’s preface makes a point of teasing out the educational value of games, the need for “unguided learning,” especially if one considers the value of creating games, not just playing them. The games in this book were submitted for compilation by many authors. | ||
