Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP
Posting-Version: version B 2.10.2 9/18/84; site ecsvax.UUCP
Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!mhuxr!mhuxt!houxm!whuxl!whuxlm!akgua!mcnc!ecsvax!dgary
From: dgary@ecsvax.UUCP (D Gary Grady)
Newsgroups: net.micro
Subject: Re: BASICA
Message-ID: <964@ecsvax.UUCP>
Date: Fri, 20-Dec-85 12:22:22 EST
Article-I.D.: ecsvax.964
Posted: Fri Dec 20 12:22:22 1985
Date-Received: Sun, 22-Dec-85 01:29:00 EST
References: <872@brl-tgr.ARPA>
Reply-To: dgary@ecsvax.UUCP (D Gary Grady)
Organization: Duke U Comp Ctr
Lines: 21
Keywords: BASIC
Summary: GWBASIC needed for PC clones

In article <872@brl-tgr.ARPA> JFORREST@simtel20.arpa (Jim Forrest) writes:
>I have had no luck running BASICA on any of several IBM compatibles I
>have tried it on, using PC-DOS 3.10. It just will not run.
>Most of the compatibles I have tried have the phoenix rom. Does BASICA
>check the ROM and bomb out due to it not being IBM, or is there a way
>to get it to run?

BASICA makes calls into ROM BASIC (a separate entity from the ROM BIOS
Phoenix emulates) so it will not run an any clones.  An IBM-compatible
BASIC called GW BASIC is sold by Microsoft and by many clone-makers.
Typical discounted price is about $70.  Some compatibles, such as
Compaq, come with GWBASIC (often called "BASICA").

By the way, there are two theories on what GW stands for.  One is that
it means "Gates, William" (Bill Gates in the Big Cheese in Microsoft),
the other is that it stands for "Goshwow."
-- 
D Gary Grady
Duke U Comp Center, Durham, NC  27706
(919) 684-3695
USENET:  {seismo,decvax,ihnp4,akgua,etc.}!mcnc!ecsvax!dgary