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looking for an msx-basic cross-compiler

By nitrofurano

Supporter (7)

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29-09-2011, 09:49

hi! are there some kind of msx-basic cross-compiler to download?
i'm asking this because i tried "boriel zx basic compiler" http://www.boriel.com/software/the-zx-basic-compiler/?lang=en, and since the z80 processor is the same, i can imagine how simple could be fork and adapt this project (coded in python language) to do the same with msx-basic instead of zx-basic.
what do you all think?

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By Manuel

Enlighted (7235)

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29-09-2011, 10:55

I don't think it exists yet, so go ahead and adapt the project for MSX!

By Google

By nitrofurano

Supporter (7)

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30-09-2011, 10:24

if i were skilled for that - help is needed on that...

By Manuel

Enlighted (7235)

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30-09-2011, 10:53

Well, you said you could imagine it is simple...

By RetroTechie

Paladin (697)

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30-09-2011, 15:27

MSX-Basic is totally different from ZX Spectrum BASIC - different commands, different syntax/options, different internal data formats, different hardware used for input/output, different implementation, etc. And cross-compiler would be coded in whatever language you choose. Read: forget 'adapting', if an MSX-Basic cross-compiler doesn't exist, you'd basically start from scratch.

Then look at projects like C-BIOS, that re-implement the most important BIOS routines so that many cartridges work. And see how long it took a team of multiple coders to get that into a useable state.

MSX-Basic is much bigger than that (the bulk of 32 KB for MSX1, 48 KB for MSX2/2+/TR). To me that says: multi-month project for a skilled coder, multi-year project for a newbie. That is, if you stay active on such a project. Any distractions/vacations/real life etc. will stretch that further. Of course multiple people could join in, but usually that doesn't happen before you've got something halfway working already.

Not saying it couldn't be done, but simply 'adapting' ? Forget that... BA-team

By slowerisbetter

Expert (107)

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06-10-2011, 00:31

It would be very hard to do, but you can start small though and grow slowly. This code that Boriel wrote is actually very nice, the guy didn't just hack this up, he made an effort to create something robust. So although it's not so much adapting, you probably *can* reuse a lot of his effort if you wanted it to. But RetroTechie is very right; you would need a lot of time for that.

By PingPong

Paragon (2014)

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18-03-2012, 19:48

the idea of a new modern alternative to msx-basic is intrihuing.....

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