Lesson plan

Multi-user BASIC

Multi-user BASIC was a dialect of the BASIC language for the DEC PDP-11 running the RT-11 operating system. One or more users were supported in separate address spaces sharing the same language interpreter. The syntax of the language was similar to but not identical to BASIC-11. A key language element was the support for virtual files. These were similar to the virtual arrays in BASIC-PLUS in but more limited. An array of integers, floating-point, or character strings of length 1, 2, 4, 8, 16, 32, or 64 could be placed in file and accessed with a subscript. The file could actually be opened (or re-opened) with a different definition allowing integers, characters, and floating point numbers to be stored in the same file. Like BASIC-11, Multi-User BASIC provided some support for lab equipment, support for character terminals (LA30, VT100). Because it was a multi-user system, it did not support real-time data collection.

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Article summary

Multi-user BASIC was a dialect of the BASIC language for the DEC PDP-11 running the RT-11 operating system. One or more users were supported in separate address spaces sharing the same language interpreter. The syntax of the language was similar to but not identical to BASIC-11. A key language element was the support for virtual files. These were similar to the virtual arrays in BASIC-PLUS in but more limited. An array of integers, floating-point, or character strings of length 1, 2, 4, 8, 16, 32, or 64 could be placed in file and accessed with a subscript. The file could actually be opened (or re-opened) with a different definition allowing integers, characters, and floating point numbers to be stored in the same file. Like BASIC-11, Multi-User BASIC provided some support for lab equipment, support for character terminals (LA30, VT100). Because it was a multi-user system, it did not support real-time data collection.

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Discussion questions

  1. Summarise the article in your own words. Which single claim would you verify first, and why?
  2. Which claim in this article is most likely to be revised as the sources update? How would you check its current status?
  3. If two sources disagreed about one of these facts, what would you need in order to trust one over the other?

Bibliography

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Key claims and bibliography are generated from the same tracked claims and sources as the article page.