“BASIC Zgrass—a sophisticated graphics language for the Bally Home Library Computer” by DeFanti, Fenton and Donato
Conference:
Type(s):
Title:
- BASIC Zgrass—a sophisticated graphics language for the Bally Home Library Computer
Presenter(s)/Author(s):
Abstract:
Home computer users are just now discovering computer graphics. Modest extensions to BASIC allow plotting but not much more. The Bally Home Library Computer, however, has hardware to aid implementation of video games. Custom integrated circuits working on a 160×102 pixel (2 bits per pixel) color television screen allow certain forms of animation in real time. To give this power to the user, BASIC Zgrass has been designed and implemented. It is an extension of BASIC that allows parallel processes, picture objects that move, scale and group together as well as several drawing modes. There are also software controls of a three-voice music synthesizer, interactive input devices, a film camera and an IEEE bus interface. We will concentrate mainly on the language design for making it all easy to learn and use.
References:
1. Nelson, Ted, The Home Computer Revolution, 1977, p. 79.
2. DeFanti, T.A., “The Digital Component of the Circle Graphics Habitat,” Proc. NCC, 1976.
3. DeFanti, T.A., Sandin, D.J., and Nelson, T.H., “Computer Graphics as a Way of Life,” Computers & Graphics, Vol. 1, No. 1, May 1975.
4. Goldberg, A. and Kay, A., Smalltalk-72 Instruction Manual, Xerox PARC #ssl76-6, March 1976.
5. Papert, Seymour, A Computer Laboratory for Elementary Schools, Logo Memo 1, MIT Artificial Intelligence Lab, October, 1971.
6. Alpert, D., and Bitzer, D., “Advances in Computer-Based Education,” Science, Vol. 167, March 1970.
7. Feldman, J.A., “Proceedings of the Extensible Languages Symposium,” SIGPLAN NOTICES, Vol. 4., No. 8., August 1969.
