[Coco] [Color Computer] Re: Let me introduce myself

[Ward Griffiths]

On 02/02/2006 04:43 pm, R. Flowers wrote:

> > CoCo, some games written in BASIC used PRINT to place the quarter-
> > character graphics blocks.  Tie, eh?
>
> I'll concede somewhat, but not a tie. :)
>
> I don't intend to be argumentative, but in many instances those
> characters (on the C-64) were typed in directly from the keyboard
> into the listing, usually in the form of PRINT "#####>>>>>>Hello!"
> (where # = 'cursor down' and > = 'cursor right') for example. Just
> trying converting that listing to plain text for the conversion
> would be problematic.
>
> In the CoCo, usually the special characters where printed like this:
> PRINT CHR$(133) or some such. At least it would not choke most BASIC
> parsers. Sure, every once in a while you would find special
> characters inserted directly into a string, but this was almost
> always found in prerecorded software (on tape or disk), the result
> of another routing POKEing the characters in there.

Actually, they were more often done by assigning the strings with LET and then 
using DATA statements to POKE the values into the strings based on VARPTR.  
It's why Leo Christopherson's programs such as Android Nim and Dancing Demon 
(for the 1/3) or Klendathu for the Coco listed normally if you did so right 
after loading from a factory tape, but looked like garbage if you ran them 
first or loaded them from copies saved after the programs had been run.
-- 
Ward Griffiths    wdg3rd at comcast.net

I think boys might benefit from owning a Barbie doll; every young man
should understand what an expensive proposition it is to cohabitate with
a narcissistic woman built like a stripper.  --  Tony Woodlief