TI compact computer 40 Basic. (evaluation) David H. Ahl.

TI Compact Computer 40 Basic

I recently wrote a book, The Texas Instruments Home Computer Ideabook. As a result, I became very familiar with TI 99/4A Basic, a bare bones implementation of the language with virtually no bells and whistles. Hence, it was with mixed emotions that I approached the CC-40.

My excitement started to build as I read the first sections of the manual. Good grief, could CC-40 Basic really have come from the same folks in Texas who brought us 99/4 Basic?

The CC-40 has a truly excellent Basic. In addition to all the expected commands and functions, there are some that set this computer apart.

mumbers.
KEY$keyboard
versatileDISPLAY
function.either
precedepowerful
following

She said, "I love you,' and left.

usedtopressedstatement.

Of course, there are some idiosyncrasies as well. The first program I wrote (a very simple one) just would not display any output. I finally traced this to the fact that the output was displayed so quickly that it could not be seen before the computer went on to the next command (or stopped). When the CC-40 finishes a program, the last line of output is not left on the screen; presumably this is to conserve battery life. Hence, to see any output, you must instruct the program to pause briefly before going on. Fortunately, this is easily done with the PAUSE command which causes the CC-40 to pause for the number of seconds specified, i.e., PAUSE 2 pauses for two seconds.

Bottom line: CC-40 Basic is one of the best I have seen and is all the more remarkable for being on a computer this size.

Products: Texas Instruments CC-40 (computer)