STOS BASIC
Encyclopedia
STOS BASIC is a dialect of the BASIC programming language
implemented on the Atari ST
computer. STOS BASIC was originally developed by Jawx by François Lionet
and Constantin Sotiropoulos
and published by Mandarin Software (now known as Europress Software).
STOS Basic was a version of BASIC that was designed for creating games, but the set of powerful high-level graphics and sound commands it offered made it suitable for developing multimedia-intense software without any knowledge of the internals of the Atari ST
.
(version 2.3) was released in late 1988 by Mandarin Software, an earlier version had been released earlier in France
.
Version 2.3 was bundled with three complete games (Orbit, Zoltar and Bullet Train), and many accessories and utilities (such as sprite and music editors). A compiler
was soon released that enabled the user to compile the STOS Basic program into an executable file that ran a lot faster because it was compiled
rather than interpreted. In order to be compatible with the compiler, STOS needed to be upgraded to version 2.4 (which came with the compiler). STOS 2.4 also fixed a few bugs and had faster floating point mathematics code, but the floating point numbers had a smaller range.
STOS 2.5 was released to make STOS run on Atari STEs with TOS 1.06 (1.6), and then STOS 2.6 was needed to make STOS run on Atari STEs with TOS 1.62. STOS 2.7 was a compiler-only upgrade that made programs with the STOS tracker extension (used to play MOD music) compile.
There was a 3rd-party hack called STOS 2.07 designed to make STOS run on even more TOS versions, and behave on the Atari Falcon
.
was released for the Amiga
. It was originally meant to shortly follow the release of STOS on the Atari ST
(Mandarin Software were notorious for having huge delays in their release-schedule and announcing vapourware). AMOS
was released about two years after the UK
release of STOS. But this turned out to be a blessing in disguise for the Amiga
community thanks to the extra development time. Not only did AMOS
take advantage of the extra Amiga
hardware and have more commands than STOS, but the style of BASIC was completely different - it had no line-numbers, and there were many structured programming
constructs (at one time, the STOS Club Newsletter published a program that allowed the reader to program STOS using that style). While it was often possible to directly convert STOS BASIC programs that did not heavily rely on extensions to AMOS BASIC
, the reverse was not usually true.
A PC version called PCOS was once mentioned, but that never materialised. Instead, the publishers Mandarin Software renamed themselves Europress Software. One of the developers in Jawx, Francois Lionet
, was later to form Clickteam
with Yves Lamoureux and went on to release the Klik
(click) series of games-creation tools (which were dissimilar to STOS as they use a primarily mouse-driven interface without the need for traditional code). Klik & Play, The Games Factory, Multimedia Fusion and Multimedia Fusion 2 have been released in this series.
Programming language
A programming language is an artificial language designed to communicate instructions to a machine, particularly a computer. Programming languages can be used to create programs that control the behavior of a machine and/or to express algorithms precisely....
implemented on the Atari ST
Atari ST
The Atari ST is a home/personal computer that was released by Atari Corporation in 1985 and commercially available from that summer into the early 1990s. The "ST" officially stands for "Sixteen/Thirty-two", which referred to the Motorola 68000's 16-bit external bus and 32-bit internals...
computer. STOS BASIC was originally developed by Jawx by François Lionet
François Lionet
François Lionet is a French programmer, best known for having written AMOS BASIC on the Amiga and STOS BASIC on the Atari ST . He has also written several games on these platforms....
and Constantin Sotiropoulos
Constantin Sotiropoulos
Constantin Sotiropoulos is most famous for being the co-creator of AMOS BASIC, a popular beginners programming language for the Commodore Amiga home computer, and STOS BASIC on the Atari ST....
and published by Mandarin Software (now known as Europress Software).
STOS Basic was a version of BASIC that was designed for creating games, but the set of powerful high-level graphics and sound commands it offered made it suitable for developing multimedia-intense software without any knowledge of the internals of the Atari ST
Atari ST
The Atari ST is a home/personal computer that was released by Atari Corporation in 1985 and commercially available from that summer into the early 1990s. The "ST" officially stands for "Sixteen/Thirty-two", which referred to the Motorola 68000's 16-bit external bus and 32-bit internals...
.
History
Although the first version of STOS to be released in the UKUnited Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
(version 2.3) was released in late 1988 by Mandarin Software, an earlier version had been released earlier in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
.
Version 2.3 was bundled with three complete games (Orbit, Zoltar and Bullet Train), and many accessories and utilities (such as sprite and music editors). A compiler
Compiler
A compiler is a computer program that transforms source code written in a programming language into another computer language...
was soon released that enabled the user to compile the STOS Basic program into an executable file that ran a lot faster because it was compiled
Compiler
A compiler is a computer program that transforms source code written in a programming language into another computer language...
rather than interpreted. In order to be compatible with the compiler, STOS needed to be upgraded to version 2.4 (which came with the compiler). STOS 2.4 also fixed a few bugs and had faster floating point mathematics code, but the floating point numbers had a smaller range.
STOS 2.5 was released to make STOS run on Atari STEs with TOS 1.06 (1.6), and then STOS 2.6 was needed to make STOS run on Atari STEs with TOS 1.62. STOS 2.7 was a compiler-only upgrade that made programs with the STOS tracker extension (used to play MOD music) compile.
There was a 3rd-party hack called STOS 2.07 designed to make STOS run on even more TOS versions, and behave on the Atari Falcon
Atari Falcon
The Atari Falcon030 Computer System was Atari Corporation's final computer product. Codenamed Sparrow, the machine was based on a Motorola 68030 main CPU, and had a Motorola 56000 digital signal processor, a feature which distinguished it from most other microcomputers of the era.-History:The...
.
Extensions
It was possible to extend the functionality of STOS by adding extensions which added more commands to the language and increased the functionality. The first such extension to be released was STOS Maestro which added the ability to play sampled sounds. STOS Maestro plus was STOS Maestro bundled with a sound-sampler cartridge. Other extensions included TOME, STOS 3D, STE extension, Misty, The Missing Link, Control extension, Extra and Ninja Tracker. These extensions kept STOS alive for many years after its release.Criticisms
While giving programmers the ability to rapidly create a game without knowing the internals, STOS was criticised for being slow (especially when intensively using the non-high-level commands), and for not allowing the user to program in a structured manner.Other platforms
In 1990, AMOS BASICAMOS BASIC
AMOS BASIC is a dialect of the BASIC programming language implemented on the Amiga computer. AMOS BASIC was published by Europress Software and originally written by François Lionet with Constantin Sotiropoulos.- History :...
was released for the Amiga
Amiga
The Amiga is a family of personal computers that was sold by Commodore in the 1980s and 1990s. The first model was launched in 1985 as a high-end home computer and became popular for its graphical, audio and multi-tasking abilities...
. It was originally meant to shortly follow the release of STOS on the Atari ST
Atari ST
The Atari ST is a home/personal computer that was released by Atari Corporation in 1985 and commercially available from that summer into the early 1990s. The "ST" officially stands for "Sixteen/Thirty-two", which referred to the Motorola 68000's 16-bit external bus and 32-bit internals...
(Mandarin Software were notorious for having huge delays in their release-schedule and announcing vapourware). AMOS
AMOS BASIC
AMOS BASIC is a dialect of the BASIC programming language implemented on the Amiga computer. AMOS BASIC was published by Europress Software and originally written by François Lionet with Constantin Sotiropoulos.- History :...
was released about two years after the UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
release of STOS. But this turned out to be a blessing in disguise for the Amiga
Amiga
The Amiga is a family of personal computers that was sold by Commodore in the 1980s and 1990s. The first model was launched in 1985 as a high-end home computer and became popular for its graphical, audio and multi-tasking abilities...
community thanks to the extra development time. Not only did AMOS
AMOS BASIC
AMOS BASIC is a dialect of the BASIC programming language implemented on the Amiga computer. AMOS BASIC was published by Europress Software and originally written by François Lionet with Constantin Sotiropoulos.- History :...
take advantage of the extra Amiga
Amiga
The Amiga is a family of personal computers that was sold by Commodore in the 1980s and 1990s. The first model was launched in 1985 as a high-end home computer and became popular for its graphical, audio and multi-tasking abilities...
hardware and have more commands than STOS, but the style of BASIC was completely different - it had no line-numbers, and there were many structured programming
Structured programming
Structured programming is a programming paradigm aimed on improving the clarity, quality, and development time of a computer program by making extensive use of subroutines, block structures and for and while loops - in contrast to using simple tests and jumps such as the goto statement which could...
constructs (at one time, the STOS Club Newsletter published a program that allowed the reader to program STOS using that style). While it was often possible to directly convert STOS BASIC programs that did not heavily rely on extensions to AMOS BASIC
AMOS BASIC
AMOS BASIC is a dialect of the BASIC programming language implemented on the Amiga computer. AMOS BASIC was published by Europress Software and originally written by François Lionet with Constantin Sotiropoulos.- History :...
, the reverse was not usually true.
A PC version called PCOS was once mentioned, but that never materialised. Instead, the publishers Mandarin Software renamed themselves Europress Software. One of the developers in Jawx, Francois Lionet
François Lionet
François Lionet is a French programmer, best known for having written AMOS BASIC on the Amiga and STOS BASIC on the Atari ST . He has also written several games on these platforms....
, was later to form Clickteam
Clickteam
Clickteam is a software company, founded in 1993 by François Lionet, Yves Lamoureux and Francis Poulain, headquartered in Paris, France. Clickteam is perhaps best known for the creation of a script-free programming tool that allows users to create video games or other interactive software using a...
with Yves Lamoureux and went on to release the Klik
Klik
Klik or Click is a term used to describe a software created with one of Clickteam's software products. The term Klik originates from the name of the first product in the Klik range of products, Klik & Play, where the alternative spelling "Click" originates from the name "Clickteam", the creators of...
(click) series of games-creation tools (which were dissimilar to STOS as they use a primarily mouse-driven interface without the need for traditional code). Klik & Play, The Games Factory, Multimedia Fusion and Multimedia Fusion 2 have been released in this series.
General
- STOS Time Tunnel - A site dedicated to STOS
- STOS - Basic Language for Making Games - Article at RetroGameDev.org about STOS and its extensions(with photos of the products and scans of old ads)
Publishers
- Clickteam STOS and AMOS page - Source code for STOS and AMOS (68000 ASM)
Patches
- Generic STOS fixer - Use this to fix compiled STOS programs so that they run on a greater number of TOS versions.
- STOS Basic 2.07 - Use this to patch a version of STOS to version 2.07. It makes the compiled programs compatible with more TOS versions and hardware. It even makes STOS work properly on the Atari FalconAtari FalconThe Atari Falcon030 Computer System was Atari Corporation's final computer product. Codenamed Sparrow, the machine was based on a Motorola 68030 main CPU, and had a Motorola 56000 digital signal processor, a feature which distinguished it from most other microcomputers of the era.-History:The...
Resources
- The Complete STOS Reference
- Anthony Jacques' STOS related programs - A collection of STOS programs and extensions.
- MINI DOC POUR LE STOS BASIC (Atari) - A small documentation of STOS's most simple commands (in French).
- http://www.umich.edu/~archive/atari/Programming/Stos/ - Index of the Atari Archive STOS section
Nostalgia
- STOS Wiz-Coders
- Forgotten Creations by Simon Hazelgrove
- Silly Software