BASIC
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'Fuze Code Studio' will help you design games on Nintendo Switch
The Nintendo Switch had a strong showing its first E3 (Metroid Prime 4!, three new Mario games!), for sure, but nothing quite like what Fuze Technologies is showing off. The company has announced Fuze Code Studio, which looks like a simple way to code your own games for the console on the Switch itself. You can use a USB keyboard or Joycons to enter code, audio and graphics will be packed in, you can make 2D and 3D games and Fuze's language is supposedly simple enough to pick up that you don't need any previous coding experience.
'Minecraft' fan finds a way to program BASIC code in-game
You may have seen Minecraft used to teach programming or even mods that allow some in-game programming, but writing BASIC code inside Minecraft? That's virtually unheard of... until now. SethBling has developed a BASIC interpreter that lets you compile and run simple programs and scripts within Mojang's world-building game. It boils down to using many, many command blocks, but it really works. You can not only print text, but have in-game robots ("turtles") perform tasks. Need to dig a long tunnel? Just start a digging script and let the bot do all the hard work.
Engadget Daily: Amazon's new phone, Snapchat video and more!
You might say the day is never really done in consumer technology news. Your workday, however, hopefully draws to a close at some point. This is the Daily Roundup on Engadget, a quick peek back at the top headlines for the past 24 hours -- all handpicked by the editors here at the site. Click on through the break, and enjoy.
Remembering BASIC on its 50th birthday
Nowadays, "basic" has a very different and derogatory Urban Dictionary-style meaning. Fifty years ago on this very day, however, it was the name given to a new computer-programming language born in a Dartmouth College basement. Devised initially by a group of the school's undergraduates and professors, BASIC's initial academic purpose was simple: to enable time-sharing on Dartmouth computers with an easy-to-learn, English-based language. Programming itself has greatly evolved since, but our early memories of coding in BASIC are no less fond.
Apple II's 35-year-old operating system is now open to the public
In a world of super-fast OS X and Windows machines, it's easy to forget that early desktop computers were a lot more basic. That was the case for the Apple II, Cupertino's first mass-market computer that utilized a cassette tape for data storage and just 4K of memory. Now, more than 35 years after its release, the Computer History Museum is making the original DOS source code for the iconic computer available to the public. It was donated by Paul Laughton, creator of the original operating system, who was working to a strict deadline set by Steve Jobs to make Steve Wozniak's disk controller capable of assembling programs. It took him just seven weeks to complete and pocketed him a cool $13,000. The Computer History Museum has posted the complete source code archive to its website, we also suggest you check out its detailed history on the Apple II and its development while you're there. [Image Credit: Robert Scoble, Flickr]
This is the Modem World: The Great Computer Cold War of 1982
Each week Joshua Fruhlinger contributes This is the Modem World, a column dedicated to exploring the culture of consumer technology. I've known my friend Jeff since I was 2 years old. He was one year ahead of me in school, but in everything else -- little league, school, girls -- we were extremely competitive. We both had two sisters and looked to one another as brothers and yardsticks for prepubescent success. He was better at baseball and I usually had better luck with the ladies. Being better at baseball helped him with the ladies and having a way with the girls made the baseball thing kind of irrelevant. In short, I was better. I saw Jeff last week, and as we reminisced about the good old days of baseball and babes, he reminded me of what he called The Great Computer Cold War of 1982. "The great what?" I asked him.
Nokia 105 and 301 candybar phones announced at MWC, offer simplicity on the cheap
Think Nokia's all about Lumias these days? While the Windows Phone brand is still the company's primary point of focus, it doesn't mean Nokia isn't still cranking out millions of basic phones for emerging markets around the globe. With that in mind, the Finnish phone giant has outed two such handsets at its event at Mobile World Congress. Sure, they aren't much to look at, but Nokia feels it's still an important element of its strategy to dominate the lower-end market segment. The first cellular telephone unveiled at this morning's event is the Nokia 105, which is about as simple as they come these days. Once it arrives on the market this quarter, you'll be able to grab one for €15 ($20) in either cyan or black. It contains such features as a flashlight and FM radio, and the noteworthy bullet point is its month-long battery life (standby time). The second half of the pair is the 301 (pictured above), which is a bit more fancy at €65 ($85). It will come with a 3.2MP camera with panorama mode, sequential shots and a clever little self-portrait mode that audibly prepares you for your next glamour selfie. Additionally, the 301 lets you take advantage of Mail for exchange, Nokia Xpress internet (which compresses data down by about 90 percent) and HSPA connectivity with video sharing. Dual and single-SIM options will be available in Q2 of this year.
Ben Heck fashions a pocket computer with an Xbox Chatpad and Arduino Uno
It's great to see Ben Heck focus his efforts of do-gooder projects like that foot-controlled wheelchair, but we'll always have a soft spot for the modfather's more nostalgic undertakings, like this BASIC pocket computer. Heck created the device for the latest episode of his web show, and if you're following along at home, you'll need the Chatpad from an Xbox 360 controller, an Arduino Uno and a LCD display -- a Hitachi HD 44780, in this case. The modder-turned-host is quick to point out that the project's purpose isn't solely nostalgic -- you can also use it to control real world objects, which in the Heck's case means a ghost on a pinball playfield. Check out a video of the invention in action after the break.
Back in the BBS days: how-to helps newbs navigate to a pre-internet playground
The web has an origin story, one that predates any cozy trip in the wayback machine. That's because where we're going, there is no internet -- at least, not as you now know it -- only Bulletin Board Systems. And to help guide curious digital natives on this journey back to the time tech forgot, a programmer by the handle of Proppelerpowered has whipped up a how-to that leverages nothing more than a microcontroller-based microcomputer and BASIC knowledge. The brief step-by-step, listed over on Instructables, requires intrepid geeks to build a Pocket Mini computer, which purportedly takes only "an evening," after which they'll have to tinker with some low-level coding to complete the connection setup, hitch a ride online via PC and then link up with any number of active BBSs around the world. For the purposes of this beginner guide, you'll have instructions for access to a Canada-based Commodore 64 clearly laid out. But the more adept are encouraged to swap out the standard setup for an ANSI terminal and wade into serious retro-gaming waters (Trade Wars, anyone?). Hit up the source below to peek the blow-by-blow and see if this hack's made for you.
EmporiaCLICK hands-on at CES 2012 (video)
It may not turn the heads of anyone who needs the latest and greatest phone -- let alone most smartphone users -- but Emporia Telecom's not going after that market. Rather, the handset manufacturer is busy pushing out devices that appeal to the first-time phone buyer or anyone who doesn't need anything besides a simple phone that actually makes calls and sends messages. The EmporiaCLICK, which should be available this Spring for under $100 without contract, is the absolute epitome of the basic clamshell cameraphone, complete with large buttons, fingerprint-friendly exterior and a built-in one-click emergency button which will cycle through a list of five emergency numbers until somebody answers. Head on below to see the device in all its glory, as well as a video after the break.
Emporia Telecom expands to North America and Latin America, brings a couple new phones with it
Emporia Telecom, an Austrian phone manufacturer that focuses on making basic and easy-to-use handsets, announced this morning that it plans to expand its boundaries to include North and Latin America sometime this Spring. Along with the endeavor, Emporia plans to introduce two new handsets: the EmporiaCLICK clamshell and EmporiaSOLIDplus rugged candybar. These devices -- much like the others in the lineup -- are geared toward first-time phone buyers and seniors who aren't interested in a smartphone, boasting simple features such as large buttons, loud speakerphone and ringtones, high-powered vibration motors and a one-touch Call to Care button that automatically alerts emergency services when pressed. The company plans to show off the handsets at CES next week, so keep an eye out for more updates as they roll in. In the meantime, read up on the press release below.
Richard Garriott describes his 'ultimate' RPG
Before Tabula Rasa, before Ultima Online, before any of the Ultimas, Richard Garriott had a vision for what he called the "ultimate" RPG. In a lengthy Facebook post, Garriott takes us back to 1974 when he first got the idea for such a game after being influenced by Lord of the Rings and Dungeons & Dragons. Starting with BASIC games on his school's teletype and moving up through the modern era of MMOs, Garriott details how he's been pursuing a dream of creating and refining one RPG to rule them all. He doesn't have kind words for how Ultima Online's shaped up since his absence, however, saying that elements like Elves and Ninjas were added against his wishes. "This is only a small example of why and how Ultima has drifted away from Richard Garriott, but I have not drifted away from Ultima," he writes. "It is clear to me that I, Richard Garriott, am an essential ingredient of at least the Ultimate Ultima, if not more broadly the Ultimate RPG. Perhaps one day, now that the people who pushed me out of EA more than a decade ago are long since gone, EA will recognize that together, we could rebuild that franchise in a way that they have failed to do in the intervening years. Richard Garriott is an essential ingredient in the Ultimate Ultima!" He ends his passionate speech with a few glimpses into the design for this "ultimate" RPG that he and his team are currently designing: "You will have customized Avatar homesteads and real roles to play in a deep, beautifully realized highly interactive virtual world. It will have virtues and the hero's journey reflected back to the player. It will have the best of synchronous and asynchronous features in use. Fiction will support your arrival from earth into this new world. I even hope to make maps, coins and other trinkets available to players of the game."
John's Phone review: 'the world's simplest cellphone'
It's said to be "The world's simplest cellphone." That's a bold claim from anyone let alone a previously unknown (in gadget circles anyway) Dutch team of creatives over at John Doe Amsterdam who wanted to build a basic phone -- the most basic phone ever -- that wasn't as dull and boring as other affordable phones on the market. So is it? Well, it certainly is basic. In the age of smartphones and cheap featurephones, John's phone is more clearly defined by what it lacks than what it has: no fancy color touchscreen display; no camera; no 3G radio, WiFi, Bluetooth or even GPRS data; no FM radio; no user-accessible storage; and no music player or apps of any kind. It can't even send a text message. It's just a quad-band GSM phone with an ink pen and paper notepad tucked neatly into its capacious recesses. That's right, pen and paper. So, it's definitely basic, but is it simple to use? Read on to find out. %Gallery-109300%
Microsoft Small Basic gets a stable release, aims to inspire a new generation of programmers
Those of a certain age may fondly remember learning QBASIC in school (or at least playing Nibbles in it), and it looks like Microsoft is now doing its best to bring a beginner-level programing language to a whole new generation. That comes in the form of Microsoft Small Basic, which has actually be floating around in pre-release versions since 2008 but has just recently seen its first stable release. True to its name, the programming language takes its inspiration from the original BASIC language, and wraps everything in a simplified interface that offers beginners a bit of guidance, and will even let you export your program to the smallbasic.com website so anyone can try it out in their browser (with Silverlight, of course). Of course, just because it's for beginners doesn't necessarily mean it's just for kids -- you can find all you need to get started by hitting up the links below.
C64 emulator un-approved again
The first thing I thought when I saw that the C64 emulator we posted about the other day still had the BASIC interpreter hidden in it was, "Well that won't last." And unfortunately for fans of software emulation on the iPhone, I was right: the software got pulled from the App Store but quick. You can't really blame Apple here -- they've made it pretty clear that they don't actually want people running unlicensed, emulated code on the iPhone, so it's not hard to see why, when it was discovered you could still activate the interpreter, they cleared it out of the store. The good news is that the emulator has been updated to delete the interpreter completely, and the owners of the software have resubmitted it yet again to the App Store. But as much as I enjoy seeing emulators on the iPhone (I've made it very clear I'd love to see an official NES arcade app), I can't say I'd blame Apple for just passing on this one outright. They've had to go through this app at least twice now, and especially since app approval is already taking so long, that's pretty much a waste of time. Mistakes like leaving the BASIC in the app (Edit: My mistake -- they intentionally left it in and hidden, with the expectation that Apple would later allow it. Doesn't seem very likely.) are making it much easier at this point for Apple to just say "no emulators, period," and move on. Hopefully this app will get re-approved, and that'll be the end of it.
Apple pulls C64 App after Manomio shenanigans revealed
Come on Manomio, what did you expect? Did you really think Apple would leave your C64 emulator in the App Store after it was revealed that the BASIC interpreter was still in your software, exposed with a little up, up, down, down, left, right trickery? That's a clear breach of the SDK and well, downright sneaky. In a blog post to its site, Manomio claims that it had "no intention of tricking basic into the app" and only left the code in to be remotely activated later should Apple change its policy. Of course, with so much money left on the table, Manomio promptly submitted a new, presumably BASIC-free app for approval. Something we're sure Apple will get right on.[Via The iPhone blog]Read -- Enable BASIC in C64 hackRead -- Manomio's plea for mercy
TUAW Retro Giveaway Part 2: Manuals, BASIC books and a printer
In the spirit of today's April Fool's/Apple birthday blasts from the past, we've got a giveaway prize pack that will remind us all of days gone by. [Yes, this is an actual giveaway, not a joke. -Ed.]Wrapping up our look at 33 years of Apple, we're giving away a few more computational artifacts:Basic Apple BASIC, by James Coan, Fancy AppleSoft Programming by Gabriel Cuellar and 32 BASIC Programs for the Apple Computer by Rugg and Feldman for the old-school programmers out there. If you happen to have a machine to program Applesoft BASIC, why not try GEOS as well? It's an early GUI productivity suite for the Apple II series. We're giving away the entire package: manuals and disks (5.25" of course).For you Mac folks, there's the ClarisWorks user's guide from 1989, some At Ease manuals and the MacProject II manual.Finally, there's an Apple Color StyleWriter 2200 in great shape (but no warranty -- there are limits to AppleCare). We'll throw in some ink cartridges, but we've no idea if the ink still works. %Gallery-49074% Open to legal US residents of the 50 United States and the District of Columbia and Canada (excluding Quebec) who are 18 and older. To enter leave a comment telling us the oldest Apple computer you've ever used. The comment must be left before April 5, 11:59PM Eastern Time. You may enter only once. One winner will be selected in a random drawing. Prize: One copy of Basic Apple BASIC, one copy of the 1989 ClarisWorks user guide, two At Ease manuals, one MacProject II manual, one copy of Fancy AppleSoft Programming, one copy of 32 BASIC Programs for the Apple Computer (no floppies or tapes included), an entire GEOS package (manuals and floppies) and an Apple ColorStyleWriter 2200 (no warranty, but we'll throw in some ink cartridges). (Total estimated value is $100) Click Here for complete Official Rules.
Nokia reveals slender 2228 candybar for CDMA markets
Nokia's 2228 isn't much to look at on paper, but then again, it was never meant to be. Designed to handle the most basic of cellular telephone tasks in Nokia's global CDMA markets, the candybar measures in at just 12-millimeters thick and includes a 1.3-megapixel camera, integrated multimedia player, support for tethering and a LED indicator to alert you of messages awaiting your attention. There's no definitive word on where exactly this thing is going to launch in Q4, but it'll be snaking around somewhere, we're certain.
Vintage cassette tape holds Apple I BASIC, killer modem tune
Fair warning: this here post is nerdier than usual, and those who begin to feel nauseous at the mere mention of data-bending may want to refrain from continuing on. For you brave, hardened souls that are following through, feast your eyes on the "first piece of software ever sold by Apple." The Apple I BASIC cassette wasn't even included with all of the 200 Apple Is produced eons ago, but a few engineering souls have managed to extract the data and create an MP3 of the wave structure. Not surprisingly, the tone resembles that of a 1200 Baud connection, and if we should say so ourselves, would make for a wicked ringtone. Believe us, it gets even weirder in the read link, but you'll have to determine whether venturing down is something your brain can handle.[Via BoingBoing]
Found Footage: NSBasic on an iPhone
Let's face it - my development skills suck like an out-of-the-box Dyson vacuum! Back in prehistoric times when I was a Newton developer, I started by using the standard Newton dev tools but quickly learned that my programming skills were stuck in BASIC and Fortran 77. Pathetic, huh?Fortunately, a small Canadian firm called NS Basic came out with a development kit based on BASIC that was easy to understand and use. Since then, George Henne and the NS Basic crew have kept up with the handheld world by creating dev tools for Palm OS, Windows Mobile, and (soon) Symbian, as well as providing the only remaining Newton development tool.So what does this have to do with iPhone? NSBasic let us know about a video on their website that shows a small "Hello, World!" app and a stock quote application running on an iPhone. They're using NS Basic/Palm to write the applications, then running them in the experimental StyleTap Platform for iPhone and iPod Touch. While the apps look frighteningly like Palm OS apps, it's cool to see an easy and powerful set of dev tools that even beginners could use to write iPhone apps. NS Basic is quick to point out that this is not a shipping product, nor do they have plans to port NS Basic to iPhone. Of course, perhaps a lot of interest in the video will convince them of the viability of the iPhone / iPod Touch market...
