Lesson plan
Apple Business BASIC
Apple Business BASIC is a dialect of the BASIC programming language for the Apple III with added features for producing business and productivity software. It belongs to the wider group of business BASICs, which first emerged on minicomputers. The main additions compared to AppleSoft BASIC on the Apple II were 19-digit long integer values in addition to floating point, better control over formatting input and output, and floppy disk commands that allowed file management without having to exit to Apple DOS. It included a rudimentary system to load and save fixed-width records, which made file handling easier. It also allowed programs to be built in parts and loaded on demand to allow the construction of larger applications. Business BASIC was the standard dialect for the Apple III. The Apple III also offered an expanded version of Microsoft BASIC, Apple III Microsoft BASIC, which ran under CP/M using 3rd party CP/M support.
Article summary
Apple Business BASIC is a dialect of the BASIC programming language for the Apple III with added features for producing business and productivity software. It belongs to the wider group of business BASICs, which first emerged on minicomputers. The main additions compared to AppleSoft BASIC on the Apple II were 19-digit long integer values in addition to floating point, better control over formatting input and output, and floppy disk commands that allowed file management without having to exit to Apple DOS. It included a rudimentary system to load and save fixed-width records, which made file handling easier. It also allowed programs to be built in parts and loaded on demand to allow the construction of larger applications. Business BASIC was the standard dialect for the Apple III. The Apple III also offered an expanded version of Microsoft BASIC, Apple III Microsoft BASIC, which ran under CP/M using 3rd party CP/M support.
Key claims
No claims recorded.
Discussion questions
- Summarise the article in your own words. Which single claim would you verify first, and why?
- Which claim in this article is most likely to be revised as the sources update? How would you check its current status?
- If two sources disagreed about one of these facts, what would you need in order to trust one over the other?
Bibliography
No sources recorded.
Key claims and bibliography are generated from the same tracked claims and sources as the article page.