Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP
Path: utzoo!mnetor!seismo!rochester!ciaraldi
From: ciaraldi@rochester.ARPA (Mike Ciaraldi)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc
Subject: Re: Port IBM 5120 program to Microsoft BASIC.  Possible??
Message-ID: <28757@rochester.ARPA>
Date: Tue, 30-Jun-87 16:20:05 EDT
Article-I.D.: rocheste.28757
Posted: Tue Jun 30 16:20:05 1987
Date-Received: Wed, 1-Jul-87 06:38:24 EDT
References: <1020@bucsb.bu.edu.UUCP>
Reply-To: ciaraldi@rochester.UUCP (Mike Ciaraldi)
Distribution: na
Organization: U of Rochester, CS Dept, Rochester, NY
Lines: 32
Keywords: IBM 5120 BASIC

In article <1020@bucsb.bu.edu.UUCP> keast@bucsb.UUCP (Kenneth H. East) writes:
>A friend has about a dozen BASIC programs that he currently runs
>on IBM 5120's.  He'd like to have them ported to his new PS/2's.
>The dealer he got the PS/2's from says it's impossible (what's new).
>I know (think) that the actual code can be transferred with little
>effort, but I am concerned about compatibility between 5120 BASIC and
>Microsoft BASIC.  I haven't had the (mis)fortune to work with either
>version.  Can anyone give me any idea as to the amount of work
>required to keep MS BASIC from puking on the 5120 stuff? 
>
I had to port a medium size (1000 line) 5100 BASIC program
to Microsoft BASIC on the IBM PC a year or so ago.
We wound up typing the source code in by hand, since we had
no convenient way to transfer it electronically.

Converting the dialects was not *TOO* bad, but was tedious.
Most statements were the same.
File handling was different, e.g. OPEN and CLOSE.
Also, formatted I/O (PRINT USING) was quite a bit different,
as I recall.
Variable names in the 5100 were very limited in size, so
I took the opportunity to change some of them.
And string handling was a little different.

All in all, not too bad.  You may find the book
_The BASIC Handbook_ by David Lien helpful.
It lists many dialects and has tips on converting between
them, but is not conveniently organized.

Mike Ciaraldi
uucp: seismo!rochester!ciaraldi
ARPA: ciaraldi@cs.rochester.edu