The Source Code for Microsoft BASIC for the Dragon 64 available #VintageComputing #BASIC @DavidLinsley11
A new GitHub repository contains the source code for the Dragon 64 computer versions of the Microsoft 16K BASIC Interpreter for the Motorola 6809 microprocessor (aka BASIC-69 and Extended Color BASIC). At the time of creating the repo, it is the only known copy of the source code.
The source was recovered from a paper listing of the Motorola assembler output that was produced in 1983 at Dragon Data’s R&D facility near their Kenfig factory in Port Talbot, Wales. The shared and unique source for both the 32K and 64K mode ROMs are present, and despite being boxed in an attic for a majority of the previous 39 years, the listing is very well preserved. It totals 340 pages of fan-fold tractor feed across 4 bundles.
Scanning was hand fed one page at a time (carefully not breaking any of the fan fold or tractor perforations) the weekend of October 22nd-23rd at the 2022 Dragon Meetup. This was also in Port Talbot to mark the 40th Anniversary celebration of the Dragon 32. Over the following months the scans were bulk OCR’ed and manually corrected. Only a handful of poor scans required consulting the original listing.
You can see the scans, OCR’ed source and more in the repository here. Via Twitter
Adafruit publishes a wide range of writing and video content, including interviews and reporting on the maker market and the wider technology world. Our standards page is intended as a guide to best practices that Adafruit uses, as well as an outline of the ethical standards Adafruit aspires to. While Adafruit is not an independent journalistic institution, Adafruit strives to be a fair, informative, and positive voice within the community – check it out here: adafruit.com/editorialstandards
Stop breadboarding and soldering – start making immediately! Adafruit’s Circuit Playground is jam-packed with LEDs, sensors, buttons, alligator clip pads and more. Build projects with Circuit Playground in a few minutes with the drag-and-drop MakeCode programming site, learn computer science using the CS Discoveries class on code.org, jump into CircuitPython to learn Python and hardware together, TinyGO, or even use the Arduino IDE. Circuit Playground Express is the newest and best Circuit Playground board, with support for CircuitPython, MakeCode, and Arduino. It has a powerful processor, 10 NeoPixels, mini speaker, InfraRed receive and transmit, two buttons, a switch, 14 alligator clip pads, and lots of sensors: capacitive touch, IR proximity, temperature, light, motion and sound. A whole wide world of electronics and coding is waiting for you, and it fits in the palm of your hand.
Have an amazing project to share? The Electronics Show and Tell is every Wednesday at 7pm ET! To join, head over to YouTube and check out the show’s live chat – we’ll post the link there.
