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From: foy@aero.ARPA (Richard Foy)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga
Subject: Re: How fast is AmigaBasic?
Message-ID: <13797@aero.ARPA>
Date: Tue, 14-Jul-87 14:22:21 EDT
Article-I.D.: aero.13797
Posted: Tue Jul 14 14:22:21 1987
Date-Received: Fri, 17-Jul-87 04:15:08 EDT
References: <1348@bath63.ux63.bath.ac.uk> <2460@husc6.UUCP> <126@jc3b21.UUCP>
Reply-To: foy@aero.UUCP (Richard Foy)
Organization: The Aerospace Corporation, El Segundo, CA
Lines: 53

In article <126@jc3b21.UUCP> fgd3@jc3b21.UUCP (Fabbian G. Dufoe) writes:


>     There is another BASIC compiler which is purportedly compatible with
>AmigaBASIC source files.  I don't remember its name, but it is a recent
>release.  Does anyone know anything about it?  Is it fast?  Is it really
>compatible with AmigaBASIC?
>
The other compiler is AC-Basic. I purchased it from Computer Best in 
Pheonix for $125. It is mostly compatible with AmigaBasic. That is you
can write programs that will run on both the interpreter and can be 
compiled. There are some things that you may have to do with programs
written without the compiler in mind. They are not very hard to comply
with. Most of them: Differences in the use of STATIC arrays, Arrays are
limited to 7 dimensions, restrictions on the order of definitions and
declarations, difference in error handling of divide by 0, compiler
will not support the CONT, the DELETE, the LIST, the LLIST, the LOAD,
the MERGE, the NEW, the SAVE, teh TRON/ TROFF statements. None of these
are of much concern.

I have not done any large programs as yet. However I think that the
compiler, compiles in a relatively short time; ie compared to 
an equivalent program compiler with my Lattice C compiler, if one
can make such a comparison. (note I do have 2 megs of fast ram. However
the compiler is not too large so I don't think that my extra memory 
speeds it up much.) Compiled programs run fast. However not as fast
as similiar things done in C. You can also loose speed if you are not
carefull with how you do arrays. Again I don't think this will be too
much of a problem. 

There are two options regarding program size. You can compile without
having a run time library of about 45000 bytes attached. In this case
you have to have the library available to your program somewhere on disk
or in ram. In this case your compiled code is quite small and different
programs can access the same library. However if you want a stand alone
application you have to add the library code. Neglecting the library
aspect teh program size is quite reasonable.

The other aspect that I don't like. (I don't know if there is a way around
this. Perhaps if some one from AC-Soft reads the net they can respond.)
The compiler automatically attaches a window to the program. This is a full
screen sized window. I don't know if it is possible to eliminate this facet
when you don't want a seperate window opened, or even if you can have it 
open a small window if this is what you desire. 

I am just beginning with the Compiler. I am glad that I purchased it. I
suspect that there are things that I will find it very usefull for.
Perhaps if I had more experience with C I would not be so pleased to 
have it.

The above opinions are my own.

Richard Foy