:applesoft:tasc
====== TASC Applesoft Compiler ======
{{tag>tasc}}

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== Keywords ==
**{{backlinks>.#keywords}}**
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A compiler made by Microsoft for Applesoft BASIC.

===== Where it is/was used =====
  * Apple II, Apple IIe


===== Noteworthy characteristics =====
Presumably, TASC did not implement the typical interpreter environment commands [[:keywords:CONT]], [[:keywords:DEL]], [[:keywords:LIST]], [[:keywords:LOMEM]], [[:keywords:NO_TRACE]], [[:keywords:SHLOAD]] and [[:keywords:TRACE]].

However, it also left out some possibly useful keywords such as [[:keywords:LOAD]], [[:keywords:RECALL]], [[:keywords:SAVE]], [[:keywords:STORE]] and ''&''.

Also, there were differences in the usage of [[:keywords:CALL]], [[:keywords:CLEAR]], [[:keywords:COMMON]], [[:keywords:DEF_FN]], [[:keywords:DIM]], [[:keywords:GET]], [[:keywords:HIMEM]], [[:keywords:IF]], [[:keywords:MAXFILES]], [[:keywords:ONERR]], [[:keywords:READ]], [[:keywords:RUN]], [[:keywords:STOP]] and [[:keywords:USR]].

In contrast, TASC implemented [[:keywords:CHAIN]], [[:keywords:DEFCOMMON]], [[:keywords:USECOMMON]] and an [[:keywords:INTEGER]] directive used with [[:keywords:REM]] for automatic conversion of floating-point variables to integer variables, so no runtime conversion would be needed. TASC documentation says //"the importance of effectively using integers cannot be over-emphasized"// and many operators, functions and statements were implemented to work with and/or return integer values.

===== Environment and usage =====

/* TO DO: notes about the REPL or IDE used, keyboard shortcuts and commands, command-line options for compiling and linking, environment variables which might be set... */


===== Extensions =====
/* TO DO: Famous libraries tools and extension packages made for this BASIC */


===== Curiosities =====
/* TO DO: Historical notes, anecdotes, what people said about it */


===== Related to... =====
/*   * **[[basicTagName|basicTitle]]** - TO DO: a brief description of the relation they have with this one */


==== Influenced by ====
/*  * **[[basicTagName|basicTitle]]** - TO DO: which are the noticeable or assumed influences */


==== Influence for ====
/*  * **[[basicTagName|basicTitle]]*** - TO DO: which are the noticeable or assumed influences */


===== Versions and successors =====
/*
  No much need of prose here, just links. Notice the different patterns to create the links:
    * **[[basics:applesoft:versionTagName|versionTitle]]** - for versions (created under this page)
    * **[[successorTagName|successorTitle]]** - for a successor (created as sibling of this page)
*/



===== References =====
/*
  If the ((citation)) syntax was used elsewhere, they will be listed below this section.
  You can prepend this with a list of books, magazines and web pages with information
  used in this page
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  * https://archive.org/details/mttac/ - A 1981 copy of the Microsoft TASC manual, last checked 2023-02-27.


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