Using a Compiler

The CP/M operating system allows the use of many different languages apart from MBASIC, which is probably the commonest. MBASIC was conceived, and is widely used, as an interactive language to enable programmers to learn the techniques of programming. The commands and program instructions are executed either in an “immediate” mode, when the computer is made to behave as if it were a desk calculator, or after the command RUN has been issued. This is dealt with in more detail in the previous chapter. A compiled language, on the other hand, has its programs initially written as a string of text characters and thus they can be created by any editor that works under CP/M, for example its own ED utility, WORDSTAR, T/MAKER or any other text editor that produces a set of ASCII characters. In the example shown in Chapter 6 we have used ED to create and subsequently modify a CBASIC program.