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From: porter@inuxd.UUCP (J Porter)
Newsgroups: net.micro.cbm
Subject: Re: comal vs. simon's basic
Message-ID: <496@inuxd.UUCP>
Date: Fri, 23-Mar-84 20:19:46 EST
Article-I.D.: inuxd.496
Posted: Fri Mar 23 20:19:46 1984
Date-Received: Sun, 25-Mar-84 09:40:33 EST
References: <3961@lanl-a.UUCP>
Organization: AT&T Consumer Products Div., Indianapolis
Lines: 48

Off the top of my head (ouch) here are a few pros and cons:

SIMONS' BASIC (SB) is an extension of the Microsoft BASIC
that is built into the 64.  Thus it is upward compatable.  
COMAL is not.

COMAL (disk version) is free and in the public domain.  If the guys
in MadCity (Madison, WI home of the COMAL users group) had offered
to make copies for virtually nothing, the demand on them would be
horrendous.  They would be copying disks 24 hours/day and probably
wear out a drive or two.  They did the right thing by putting it in 
the public domain, and let it distribute itself.

COMAL has LOGO commands built in.  SB does not.  SB has music and graphics
that operate in the background.  COMAL does not.

Both have named produres and structured programming constructs.

SB doesn't have a CASE statement.  COMAL does.

SB doesn't assume you are using a disk.  COMAL does.

Variables in COMAL are more than two characters.  Not in SB.

COMAL appears to have faster integer arithmetic.  Not sure about SB.

SB is available in Cartridge now.  COMAL isn't.

Real programmers don't use SB.  But I like SB anyways.

Jeff Porter  (inuxd!porter)
AT&T Consumer Products
Indianapolis

PS:  As of the end of this month, I will no longer be working for
AT&T Consumer Products.  Starting April 2, I will be workinng for
Commodore Computer in West Chester, PA!!!  I guess you could say
that I have gone pro.  They are not on the net yet, but that
may change if they are going to develop a Z8000 UNIX PC.
I'm going ot miss the net, and I hope to keep in touch with
some of you via USNAIL.  My new business address will be:

Jeffrey S. Porter
Commodore Semiconductor Systems
1200 Wilson Dr.
West Chester, PA  19380

Keep smiling:     :-)