ANTIC Interview 451 - Daniel Serpell, FastBasic

ANTIC Interview 451 - Daniel Serpell, FastBasic

Released Monday, 30th December 2024
Good episode? Give it some love!
ANTIC Interview 451 - Daniel Serpell, FastBasic

ANTIC Interview 451 - Daniel Serpell, FastBasic

ANTIC Interview 451 - Daniel Serpell, FastBasic

ANTIC Interview 451 - Daniel Serpell, FastBasic

Monday, 30th December 2024
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Episode Transcript

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0:04

This is Antic the Atari

0:07

8-bit podcast. I'm Kay Savitz.

0:09

Daniel Serpel is the

0:11

creator of Fast Basic, a

0:13

modern interpretation of the

0:16

basic programming is ANTIC,

0:18

the Atari 8 -Bit 8-bit I'm

0:20

Kay Savitz. He released the is

0:22

the creator of of the a

0:24

modern interpretation of the basic

0:26

programming language for the Atari 8

0:28

-Bit computers. He He released the

0:31

first version to the public in

0:33

2017. in 2017. Today, the the licensed

0:35

language is up to

0:37

version 4 .6 a is a

0:39

of the 10 line contest

0:41

entrance and anyone who anyone who

0:43

wants a speedy modern take

0:46

on Atari to crib from

0:48

going to crib from Atari

0:50

Wiki's description of It is a complete

0:52

is a complete re -implementation

0:54

of the basic system a a

0:57

built code compiler than than a

0:59

tokenizing interpreter. Typical

1:01

basics use an interpreter that examines

1:03

every line of code as

1:05

the program runs. runs. FastBasic works

1:07

on an entirely different principle. When

1:10

a line is parsed in

1:12

FastBasic, it essentially compiles the entire

1:14

line into tokens and then leaves

1:16

them in memory. This way the way does

1:18

not not have to be repeatedly parsed,

1:20

even from the simplified token format,

1:22

which makes it far faster to run.

1:24

to run. Fast

1:27

Basic has other enhancements including

1:29

new commands for new commands for

1:31

player with and an option

1:33

to use FujiNet, math instead

1:35

of faster and math instead instead

1:37

of line numbers. and structured

1:40

This interview took place on of line

1:42

numbers. 2024. took place on

1:44

video version of this interview

1:46

is also available on YouTube

1:48

and is also available on YouTube are you in? Archive.

1:51

What city are you in? Bignad

1:53

Elmar? I I don't know

1:55

that city. You

1:57

can that city. Diego

1:59

in the coast of

2:01

Chile. Excellent. I would

2:03

like to start at the

2:06

at the very beginning. If

2:08

you could tell me how

2:11

you got interested in computers

2:13

when you got your first

2:16

Atari, how old were you?

2:18

What year was it? Just

2:21

kind of start there and

2:23

we'll go from there. I

2:26

think I was interested in

2:28

computers from the early days,

2:31

from my early memories for

2:33

when I was child. were

2:36

thinking, I really want a

2:38

computer. And the first time

2:41

I saw a computer nearby

2:43

in 1982, I think, one

2:46

of my neighbors that was

2:48

bigger than me, older than

2:51

me, got himself and stayed

2:53

81. I don't know if

2:56

you know it's a Sinclair

2:58

computer that was very basic.

3:01

two kilowatts of RAM and

3:03

the C88 81 is it

3:06

uses a C80 processor and

3:08

it has two kilowatts of

3:11

RAM and I was hooked.

3:13

It's like a marble because

3:16

you connected the computer with

3:18

a tiny little thing to

3:21

the TV and in the

3:23

TV you can write a

3:26

program to calculate things. It

3:28

was really mind-blowing for me.

3:31

I was about a year

3:33

old at that time, so

3:36

I was booked. And from

3:38

that time onward, I always

3:41

wanted to have a computer,

3:43

but computers were really expensive,

3:46

even home computers were really

3:48

expensive and rare here in

3:51

Chile. I, but in the

3:53

Christmas of 85, so, 39

3:55

years from now. Exactly. I

3:58

got a computer from for

4:00

Christmas. was the, it was

4:03

for all my, my brothers

4:05

I. It was an Atari I.

4:08

So that was my

4:10

an computer and that's

4:12

so my that was my

4:15

first computer, and that's

4:17

so my interest in

4:19

I believe really remembering in the day

4:21

after the day after

4:23

Christmas, mounting the

4:26

computer, up to the and

4:28

loading loading Lee. And the

4:30

first game I I played

4:32

in the study. And you played

4:34

the and you with your games

4:36

with your brothers. Your

4:38

brother, I assume. Yeah,

4:40

Yeah, my big brother, Actually, I don't

4:43

remember really don't

4:45

remember by timing by

4:47

that. I suppose month after we

4:49

A month after we

4:51

got he already had a multiply

4:54

Bruce Lee through the end.

4:56

through the end. Nice. So

4:59

what did you do with you do

5:01

with that computer other than

5:03

play Bruce Lee? A lot of

5:05

things. I lot of that

5:07

one of the good things about

5:09

the One of

5:11

the good things about basic

5:14

manual also, a manual of the a

5:16

manual of the language and it

5:18

he you how to how to some

5:21

graphical programs even. So

5:23

I remember with my my old

5:25

brother, typed in all the

5:27

programs from the book

5:29

the book and new programs

5:32

new how I

5:34

learned to program how I learned to

5:36

program basic curves and other

5:38

language got the About

5:40

two years after we got the

5:43

ATATX scale, we got as I

5:45

give also this drive. And

5:47

the describe changes, how you

5:49

really could use the

5:51

computer program because they're

5:54

player. a cassette tape

5:56

player is is really not

5:58

Not very good to. storing your

6:01

programs, you lose your data.

6:03

Sometimes you go to you

6:06

override where you children have

6:08

freedom. So it's really difficult,

6:11

but having the disk drive,

6:13

it was very easy to

6:16

write bigger programs and start

6:18

learning. That's how my passion

6:21

with computers and programming developed

6:23

until today. Very nice. Tell

6:26

me about the Atari environment

6:28

in Chile. Were there other

6:31

people using Atari's? Were there

6:33

easy to find in stores?

6:36

Were there magazines? Were there

6:38

books? At the start, when

6:41

I got my Atari, I

6:43

saved in Christmas 85, there

6:46

were a few people with

6:48

other lists, but I think

6:51

around the end of 86

6:53

through the start of the

6:55

start of the 90s. The

6:58

Atari was very very common

7:00

in Chile. Almost all my

7:03

friends that had a computer

7:05

have an Atari. Most of

7:08

them have an Atari 800

7:10

Excels, but then the Atari

7:13

65xE and the 130xE were

7:15

more popular. But I think

7:18

through the start of the

7:20

90s, it was the most

7:23

common computer in Chile. There

7:25

was a... even a magazine

7:28

called Mundo Atari, Atari World.

7:30

That was very common in

7:33

Chile. I have a subscription,

7:35

so I had all the

7:38

magazines and they basically reprinted

7:40

articles, translated articles from the

7:43

USA magazines. So they also,

7:45

they sometimes have many games

7:48

to type in. mostly translated

7:50

from English some even didn't

7:53

work with was they mistreated

7:55

the program. So you have

7:58

to type in and fix

8:00

it at a little work.

8:03

But it was a very,

8:05

very, very good. I don't

8:08

know if you call it

8:10

a scene, but there was

8:12

a very big community of

8:15

people that had batteries and

8:17

you can, but mostly based

8:20

on piracy because we chaired

8:22

the games with all the

8:25

kids. You go with a

8:27

tape to the school and

8:30

copy the tape so you

8:32

got the new game. Sure.

8:35

Was there, so did you

8:37

eventually move away from the

8:40

Atari and then come back

8:42

to it? Yes, yes. I

8:45

think in 1991. About 1991,

8:47

1992, my father bought us

8:50

a new computer, a PC

8:52

clone, 26 seats. And that's

8:55

what, for me, the end

8:57

of the day, because the

9:00

PC was so much, much

9:02

powerful, especially for programming. I

9:05

learned to program in C.

9:07

My father broke a Microsoft

9:10

Quick C. that also came

9:12

with the book that talked

9:15

to how to program and

9:17

see. So I was, this

9:20

is a real language. I

9:22

learned what a real computer

9:25

language was. And I completely

9:27

forgot about that. That it

9:29

for a long time. But

9:32

in the in the university,

9:34

we always have this kind

9:37

of a conversation with our

9:39

friends. Now that that is

9:42

the best. I have a

9:44

friend that. They came from

9:47

Europe. He said that the

9:49

Comor 64 was integrated Lantatari.

9:52

I didn't believe him. And

9:54

I have another friend that's

9:57

had a singleted spectrum. So

9:59

also talked talked

10:02

about the spectrum, whatever, up

10:05

on that. we thought But it

10:07

was all it was all of

10:09

us because all of us went

10:12

into a PC and then

10:14

PC gaming, we only fond

10:17

memories of memories of

10:19

old computer for old computer

10:21

for our think I came

10:23

back to the I came back to the daddy,

10:25

because because nostalgia

10:28

about the year, 200. the 2005,

10:30

I don't know, but I

10:32

think that time I started

10:35

to care about that

10:37

that time, my I

10:39

started to care about

10:41

youngest In my family,

10:43

my youngest brother me. He

10:45

years younger than

10:47

me. He inherited

10:49

got the PC got he

10:52

was he was really

10:54

small, the big big brothers

10:56

have have the Ha, ha, ha! the

10:58

small work at the Atari and he

11:00

also he also a really

11:02

interesting in the Atari. And when I

11:04

went from I went from the when

11:06

I when I went to visit

11:08

my parents in the home, home,

11:11

my brother always told me me

11:13

the Atari what programs he made, etc. But et

11:15

cetera. keeps the Atari alive in my

11:17

family for a wife. Nice. Did alive in

11:19

my family for a while.

11:21

in my family for a wife? Nice. Did did

11:23

you you get the Atari back back from

11:25

your little brother? a wife?

11:27

Eventually, yes. yes. my

11:30

brother, when my father

11:32

moved from the old house,

11:34

now live live in an

11:36

apartment in Santiago. in Santiago,

11:39

they have a a big box with

11:41

all my things my things daddy

11:43

was so I got to keep

11:45

so I got have it with me

11:47

now. and I have

11:49

means that

11:51

I also means that

11:53

again. program in the dairy

11:55

again. One of the things that happened

11:58

me me I I got are... back

12:00

was that I realized that

12:02

that it was very, was

12:04

much slower and much difficult

12:07

to program that I remember

12:09

because you have the idea

12:11

in your mind that the

12:14

games were so good that

12:16

the all the things you

12:18

can do. And when you

12:21

try model programming techniques to

12:23

the 30 and try to

12:25

make a program in basic,

12:27

you say, oh, this is

12:30

really slow. Yes. On the

12:32

Atari, did you always do

12:34

basic or did you try

12:37

action or assembly language? I

12:39

did assembly language at the

12:41

end and I also learned

12:44

fourth. The thick fourth, I

12:46

have the the probability for

12:48

thick fourth and I tried

12:50

a few programs in fourth,

12:53

but it was really not

12:55

easy to program those environments.

12:57

So, but assembly, yes, I

13:00

realized that. Assembly was the

13:02

way, the only way to

13:04

do things fast in that

13:06

is. So I learned Assembly.

13:09

At little, at first by

13:11

myself, I remember that I

13:13

simply copied a mnemonics or

13:16

code from the magazines and

13:18

tried to change the numbers

13:20

to see what's happening and

13:23

started to learn by iterating.

13:25

I didn't have a book

13:27

of Assembly in that time.

13:29

But from the modern scenes,

13:32

then the advanced articles explain

13:34

that you a lot of

13:36

assembly programming and there's a

13:39

you learn by simply copying

13:41

and doing examples, not by

13:43

following a book. Yes. All

13:45

right. So you got your

13:48

Atari back, you're back to

13:50

the Atari, and you realized

13:52

that basic. slower and not

13:55

as good as you remembered.

13:57

So then what? then what

13:59

happened? Did you discover Turbobasic

14:02

Excel at that point or?

14:04

No, no, I used the

14:06

Turbobesic when I was a

14:08

child. It was really the

14:11

very, I remember I had

14:13

a diskette with the Turbobasic

14:15

Excel and it was always

14:18

in the property drive. So

14:20

you put the Atari and

14:22

it loaded Turbobasic and basically

14:25

almost all my programming on

14:27

my, was in Turbobasic. But

14:30

I think that after going

14:33

to the university, I studied

14:35

engineering. So you learn a

14:38

lot of things how to

14:40

do the two programming in

14:43

the real, for real. And

14:45

you learn a lot of

14:48

techniques and you learn how

14:50

to do proper. structural programming

14:53

and also how to develop

14:55

using guidelines, using a lot

14:57

of rules that make you

15:00

a, you could write better

15:02

programs and maintainable programs etc.

15:05

So I wanted to apply

15:07

that to the other. And

15:10

I think I always wanted

15:12

to write a comp. So

15:15

that's why I started writing

15:17

fast basic because I wanted

15:20

to write the compiler and

15:22

doing one for the study

15:25

was really great. It was

15:27

fun. So when did you

15:30

start on fast basic? I

15:32

know you sort of released

15:35

it in 2017, I believe.

15:37

Yeah, I did a few

15:40

false starts first. Not of

15:42

fast basic but I tried

15:45

to write that compiler for

15:47

turbo basic for a tour

15:50

basic derived language and it

15:52

didn't went a. anywhere, but

15:55

I think that what prompted

15:57

me to write fast, what

16:00

was in that time was

16:02

not fast basic, but my

16:05

basic compiler was the enliners

16:07

of the time, the enliner

16:09

competition, because I saw you

16:12

could really write good little

16:14

games in basic, if you

16:17

had a faster basic environment.

16:19

using the same abbreviations, the

16:22

same tools of through basic,

16:24

but using a passive language,

16:27

you will write very good

16:29

games. So I started to

16:32

write this compiler and for,

16:34

and also I wanted it

16:37

to run in the time.

16:39

So I started experimenting and

16:42

from the first accessory implementation

16:44

to the first release of

16:47

pass basic, it was. I

16:49

don't know, three, four months,

16:52

not more. So it was

16:54

really fast. And it's because

16:57

I think what I lacked

16:59

before was the focus. The

17:02

focus on what the product

17:04

you do you want. And

17:07

in fast-party, I wanted to

17:09

write, yeah, I need a

17:12

simple company I love, optimized

17:14

for short games, writing in

17:17

timeline. And so, this focus.

17:19

given me to complete the

17:21

project because I have real

17:24

goals to me. To make

17:26

be able to make a

17:29

10-line basic game. Yes. That

17:31

was fast and fit. Exactly.

17:34

I did the I have

17:36

done the 10-line basic program

17:39

contest a few times using

17:41

turbo basic Excel and I

17:44

used your TBXL parser. thing

17:46

to squish it down here.

17:49

That was very helpful. Much

17:51

better than doing it by

17:54

hand. which is how I

17:56

how I

17:59

did the first

18:01

time. first time. And

18:04

it was It was great.

18:06

It It it lot of

18:08

fun. So a lot of fun. So

18:10

you, you, you reverse you'd

18:12

reverse turbo basic

18:15

Excel first, XL

18:17

I did that when I

18:19

was a child. did that

18:21

when I was a

18:23

child. Because when I was learning to

18:25

when I was learning in

18:27

assembly. I I really

18:30

the turbobase so

18:32

I I started And

18:34

I have a... And I have

18:37

a few pages of

18:39

text. By just I wrote

18:41

all the code. So I By

18:43

hand, I I want to the

18:45

code. turbobacic want to

18:47

know how So I

18:50

started So

18:52

I started the the program until

18:54

I got to the point where they

18:56

wrote the code that makes a circle

18:59

works and I I disassembled it it

19:01

and I start how it

19:03

how it makes circles. And then

19:05

to understand how to how to basically understand

19:07

how to you have to understand first how

19:09

have to understand process a number because

19:12

you number because you need

19:14

the number for the parameter

19:16

of the circle. you start disassembling

19:19

how the function works. Then

19:21

Then start disassembling and so I

19:23

have. I I don't know know about 40

19:25

50 40, 50 handwritten

19:28

assembly of all this

19:30

is assembling of the

19:32

basic. So I already

19:34

knew very very well

19:36

to basic work. And so it

19:38

was not that So it

19:40

was not that difficult to

19:42

write the parcel because the parcel

19:45

It's not not basic in to basic

19:47

implement the comments

19:49

or is implemented. Is

19:51

it based on It is an It

19:54

is. an independent person that

19:56

that understand the same same comment.

20:00

and translate it to

20:02

a short report. And all

20:04

right, so it took you

20:06

a couple months to get

20:09

the first version going. It's

20:11

written in what language? Is

20:13

it written in? In assembly.

20:16

In assembly. Yes. No, never.

20:18

Because I love interacting the

20:20

games and because it was

20:22

more interesting to write the

20:25

compiler than the game. Okay.

20:27

But many people have won

20:29

the 10-line contest because of

20:32

fast basic. I've seen it,

20:34

I've seen it mentioned that

20:36

using fast basic is just

20:39

so above, so better than

20:41

the other languages that it's

20:43

almost cheating to use fast

20:46

basic because it's so good.

20:48

Because, for example, I interacted

20:50

a lot with Bitoko. Bitoko

20:53

also is from Chile. So,

20:55

we talked a lot about

20:57

the direction of where Fastating

21:00

was going. He asked me,

21:02

for example, I want to

21:04

go display lists in the

21:07

room. I want to do

21:09

this play means in the

21:11

room. How we can implement

21:14

that? Ah, we can implement

21:16

that same. Or he also

21:18

said, I wrote this program,

21:21

but it's too big. What

21:23

if we add a new

21:25

abbreviation so we can write

21:28

this chart? Okay, we can

21:30

write add a new abbreviation

21:32

to the compiler to make

21:35

the new abbreviation to help

21:37

make the programs even shorter.

21:39

Nice. Exactly. So it will

21:42

feel like cheating, but the

21:44

toco always uses the previous

21:46

version of us basic. He

21:49

wrote most of the games

21:51

that the local writes. He

21:53

writes it. almost a year

21:55

in the past. Most of

21:58

the games he writes are

22:00

what? About a year in

22:02

advance, he writes it a

22:05

year before presenting to the

22:07

context. He makes many iterations

22:09

of the games. So when

22:12

he finally submitted the program,

22:14

he's using an old version

22:16

of past basic. I see.

22:19

That's how you get a

22:21

test. I've always waited until

22:23

the contest started to start

22:26

my programs. That's how that's

22:28

how it took out. I

22:30

think it he's always looking

22:33

for things for new games

22:35

or new ideas and say,

22:37

ah, this is a good

22:40

idea for a 10 lineup.

22:42

I will write it down.

22:44

And so he got a

22:47

backlog of ideas for games.

22:49

Nice. Very nice. So are

22:51

you. Right now, I

22:54

think we're at Fast Basic

22:56

4.6, right? I think I

22:58

have to do a new

23:00

release. Hopefully, before New Year,

23:03

I released a new version

23:05

because I have been really

23:07

a good buy the new

23:09

in other things. So I

23:12

have let fast basically a

23:14

little on the side. But

23:16

there are a few things

23:18

that are already in the

23:20

report study in GitHub. that

23:23

are not in any point

23:25

released. So I need to

23:27

make a new release soon.

23:29

Okay. So are we talking

23:32

new features or bug fixes

23:34

or what? Mostly new features,

23:36

but the small features. I

23:38

think the biggest feature is

23:41

that the people behind the

23:43

FujiNet added a few comments

23:45

to talk to FujiNet. to

23:47

talk to the end device

23:50

that is the device that

23:52

allows you to communicate with

23:54

the network and also added

23:56

a CEO command that allows

23:58

you to write to this

24:01

to to see. you see

24:03

the, the, the chain log,

24:05

but there's not so many

24:07

changes. I want to use

24:10

the directories. You can do

24:12

low level this access without

24:14

using assembly code. Or above

24:16

that, it's not, I don't

24:19

remember right now, I could

24:21

see the, the chain log,

24:23

but there's not so many

24:25

changes. I want to do

24:27

big changes to I always

24:30

postpone that because to do

24:32

big changes you have to

24:34

keep a lot of the

24:36

small improvements aside for a

24:39

while and provide a lot

24:41

of the infrastructure I don't

24:43

want to do that yet

24:45

but I have a few

24:48

things that I would like

24:50

to do in the future

24:52

especially about adding a proper

24:54

compiler to assembly because right

24:57

now Basically, it's always interpreted.

24:59

It is compiled to a

25:01

byte code that is interpreted.

25:03

But it's not that difficult

25:05

to write fast prices as

25:08

a real compiler to 65

25:10

or 2 code. But it

25:12

will make it bigger. So

25:14

one of the constraints that

25:17

I have with fast basic

25:19

is I don't want it

25:21

to be bigger than about

25:23

8 kilowatts. But you're doing

25:26

a native compiler, a compiler

25:28

to secure to assembly will

25:30

make it bigger. So I

25:32

don't see. I probably will

25:34

make a new compiler, an

25:37

extra compiler, that gives you

25:39

the extra skill in addition

25:41

to the actual ID. Because

25:43

the ID is what it

25:46

is important to be small,

25:48

because you have to, you

25:50

need to have in the

25:52

other memory. The ID the

25:55

compiler and the program you

25:57

are reading and the compiler

25:59

program So you you all of

26:01

of that should be small

26:03

in the limited memory

26:06

of the computer. memory

26:08

of the computer.

26:11

Sure. Do you have

26:13

any idea how big

26:15

the Do you have

26:18

any idea how people many

26:20

people use basic? Is

26:22

it dozens? it hundreds?

26:24

Is it thousands? hundreds? Is it

26:26

be about... between

26:28

a dozen and a Less than a hundred, more

26:31

than a dozen. a hundred

26:33

more than a don't know I suppose,

26:35

I don't it's hard to tell.

26:37

put it out there and people

26:39

use it put don't. people use it

26:41

or they don't? Exactly. There is

26:44

a users. big users

26:46

with me, that send

26:48

me me, that send me bugs,

26:50

et cetera. fine box, etc.

26:52

But those are about six.

26:55

The big interacting users.

26:57

And I assumed, I mean,

26:59

this, it's the, you've GPL, mean, this is

27:01

just a this. This is just

27:03

a hobby. This is just for

27:05

fun. fun, you're You're

27:08

having fun. exactly, you're having

27:10

fun. because the moment

27:12

Yeah, because the moment is,

27:15

it, it stopped stop being fun,

27:17

I won't do do it. have a

27:19

proper job for job for

27:21

doing stuff, stuff. So to be

27:23

want fun things in my my spare

27:26

time. Sure. What is

27:28

your proper job? is your

27:30

proper job? I in a

27:32

company a company that do and

27:34

do technology for the mining industry,

27:36

for instance, mainly, we

27:38

do mainly. cameras

27:40

and vision, with artificial

27:42

intelligence. That kind

27:45

of thing. that kind of

27:47

thing. also do

27:49

programming programming in my job. But

27:52

they brought him in

27:55

a transcript and a

27:57

C+, plus, and modern.

28:01

Online you are DMSC.

28:03

What does that stand

28:06

for? My name. Your

28:08

name. My name is

28:10

Malricoser Pelcari. Okay. My

28:13

part in Italy. We

28:15

hear in Chile as

28:17

most of the Spanish

28:19

speaking countries. We use

28:22

two names and your

28:24

father's name and your

28:26

mother's sword name. Very

28:30

nice. So what's what's

28:32

come what's coming in

28:34

the in the in

28:36

your vision the far

28:38

future in in fast

28:41

basic what what would

28:43

you like to add

28:45

you said a real

28:47

compiler what else? Yeah

28:49

I want to write

28:51

a compiler I I

28:53

also explored the idea

28:55

of making a proper

28:57

card base based a

28:59

system because When you

29:01

have a banking cartridge,

29:03

you also can have

29:05

a bigger program. So

29:07

I also think that

29:09

that could be a

29:12

new idea. But I

29:14

don't think if a

29:16

facing needs many more

29:18

things. What are the

29:20

things that most people

29:22

want? And I think

29:24

I will implement in

29:26

the future are ability

29:28

to have local variables.

29:30

because a basic all

29:32

the variables are global

29:34

now, but having local

29:36

variables is easier for

29:38

due to resin in

29:40

the proper subroutines, but

29:42

it's not very good

29:45

for the daddy because

29:47

you have a small

29:49

system with limited memory,

29:51

as I said a

29:53

few times already. So

29:55

having global variables is

29:57

better to actually. Better

29:59

use your memory and

30:01

better access to all

30:03

the... parameters and etc.

30:05

But having local variables

30:07

is something that most

30:09

people want. Also the

30:11

ability to include files,

30:13

to do separate compilation

30:16

of many files. This

30:18

is something that will

30:20

work for writing bigger

30:22

programs. But I don't

30:24

think many more is

30:26

needed for I don't

30:28

think adding too much

30:30

filters is counterproductive because

30:32

I think that one

30:34

of the great things

30:36

about fast basic is

30:38

simple and I want

30:40

to keep it simple.

30:42

Sure, that makes sense.

30:44

Do you have other

30:46

Atari projects that I,

30:49

other than Fast Basic,

30:51

that I don't know

30:53

about or does that

30:55

take all of your

30:57

Atari time? Sometimes

30:59

I also write other

31:01

little programs, but I

31:03

think currently not many,

31:06

no many other projects.

31:08

I think I want

31:10

to in the future,

31:12

finish a few games

31:14

that I started writing

31:16

when I was a

31:18

child. I had the

31:20

graphics, for example, for

31:22

a little robotic game.

31:24

My brother draw a

31:26

few of the graphics.

31:28

It will be fun

31:30

to actually make it

31:33

a game and not

31:35

only not to use

31:37

that. I don't know

31:39

because currently I have

31:41

other projects that are

31:43

not at every related.

31:45

For example, I want

31:47

to port like basic

31:49

to other computers. You

31:51

want to do what?

31:53

to board fast basic

31:55

to other computers. Oh,

31:57

interesting. For example, a.

32:00

I have a little 6502

32:02

base a little with

32:05

FTJs and computer

32:07

etc. I want to pour et

32:09

cetera. I want

32:11

to put to to

32:13

that. I had put a few old

32:16

computers few old

32:19

computers that I went

32:21

to repair. I I

32:23

enjoy doing also work. I

32:25

work. I had my soldering gun and

32:27

so I to repair my

32:29

old computers. I enjoyed

32:32

that. I I enjoyed

32:34

doing things with the things with

32:37

that kind of and that

32:39

that are popular now. that

32:42

are popular now. Those I think

32:44

use a fair amount of

32:46

my time. my time. But I don't,

32:48

I don't think any other

32:50

Atari project right

32:53

now on the horizon. I

32:55

don't know. Any thing

32:57

could be. And lot of

32:59

things are a lot of things

33:01

know now. do,

33:04

but even now, right

33:06

now. Yeah. All right.

33:09

There is feel you Years

33:11

ago I started I

33:14

remember. I, a few

33:16

years ago, I

33:18

started .S. source

33:21

And do you know? BWS. B-W-W-D-O-S.

33:24

I've heard of it. I of

33:26

it. I don't

33:28

know much about BWDOS.

33:30

B-W-D-O-S. It's a much smaller. And the

33:33

smaller. code was released. source

33:35

code was released, and

33:37

I was also it,

33:39

fixing bugs. And bugs, my own

33:41

I had my

33:44

own version of is smaller

33:46

is smaller than

33:48

the original. This

33:51

is is all a

33:53

project and time. sometimes

33:55

I spend some

33:57

of the time to...

34:00

to make a good, small,

34:02

competitive, competitive. I've been playing

34:04

with Fast Basic in the

34:07

last couple of weeks. I

34:09

finally got it working on

34:11

my Mac. I'm using Visual

34:14

Studio Code to do the

34:16

code. And then I just

34:18

hit one button and it

34:20

runs in the emulator. And

34:23

I'm having so much fun

34:25

with it. And it's so

34:27

fast and I enjoy the

34:30

language and it makes sense.

34:32

And from a modern programming

34:34

perspective. So. Thank you. You're

34:36

welcome. It's very great. So

34:39

I have a new user.

34:41

Yes. Yes, you do. And

34:43

you're pretty active on the

34:46

Atari Age forums? Yeah, I

34:48

try to read it. Sometimes

34:50

it overwhelms me because you

34:52

stop reading it for a

34:55

month and all who come

34:57

back and there are a

34:59

thousand posts. Yes. That's what

35:02

you say. Well, I'm familiar.

35:04

I posted some. I'm sorry.

35:06

No, I tried to read

35:08

the subform of attorney programming.

35:11

This is the forum that

35:13

I read the most because

35:15

it's very few posts in

35:18

comparison with the main forum.

35:20

Right. Well, I happened to

35:22

post something the other day

35:24

about a. Pote, the starfield,

35:27

trying to get a star

35:29

field program working in fast

35:31

basic, and I didn't tag

35:34

you or anything, but you

35:36

showed up, you're there with

35:38

the answer, it works great.

35:40

You were in the, in

35:43

the programming, so forum. That's

35:45

what the key. So I

35:47

read that part. Nice. All

35:50

right, what, what haven't I

35:52

asked you about Atari things

35:54

that I should have? I

35:56

don't know. I don't know.

35:59

Perhaps about the other is

36:01

seen in Chile a few

36:03

years ago? No, no few.

36:06

About 10, 15 years ago,

36:08

we... We did a meetup

36:10

of the operator computers with

36:13

many people in the Atari

36:15

scene in Chile and it

36:17

was very fun. Hopefully we

36:19

will do something like that

36:22

again. One of my friends,

36:24

I have a few friends

36:26

that are active in the

36:29

Atari community. So I think

36:31

it would be great if

36:33

in Chile we also though.

36:35

some meetups with the people.

36:38

Because when I see in

36:40

the in Europe and USA,

36:42

the meetups of retrocomputer and

36:45

two sets, it's really great.

36:47

Oh, I probably near here,

36:49

it would be something like

36:51

that. So you go meet

36:54

all the other people interested

36:56

in this. About a year

36:58

ago, I interviewed Rodrigo Castro,

37:01

who was one of the

37:03

organizers of Atari Expo that

37:05

happened in San Diego, San

37:07

Diego. So there is something.

37:10

See, yes, yes. That seems

37:12

like that was a fun

37:14

time. I think you also

37:17

interviewed Bitoko once, you know.

37:19

Yes. Yeah, maybe Randy did.

37:21

Yeah. So yeah,

37:23

we are getting trying to get

37:25

some Chilean representation in the in

37:28

the in the podcast. I think

37:30

I'm about done. I'm going to

37:32

ask a question that I always

37:35

I always ask, even though you're

37:37

on the forums, if you could

37:40

send a message to the people

37:42

who are still using their Atari

37:44

today and you can right now,

37:47

what would you what would you

37:49

tell them? having fun. And what

37:51

I always say, have fun. Because

37:54

for me, this is the, the

37:56

reward is remembering the times

37:58

having that fun that

38:01

fun with with you with

38:03

your memories of

38:05

your childhood. childhood

38:08

time time you have all the time

38:10

the free time to

38:12

simply play a

38:15

game learn about about

38:17

computers learn program basic. It

38:20

was it was so so I

38:22

I I remember that time fondly,

38:24

and I and I like to have

38:26

fun using my attack. my

38:29

Me too. Great. If you enjoy

38:32

these interviews and would like

38:34

to contribute something,

38:36

please consider supporting my

38:38

you enjoy these interviews and would

38:41

like to contribute something, please consider

38:43

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38:45

publishing interviews like these since 2013

38:47

and would like to continue doing

38:49

so for a long time, and

38:51

your financial support will help. will help.

38:53

Thanks.

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