TRS-80.org » Li-Chen Wang

An Interview with Jack Crenshaw

Matthew Reed — Wed, 11 Feb 2009 22:25:59 +0000

Jack Crenshaw has a long history with computers, and one of his first microcomputers was a TRS-80 Model I. Readers of 80 U.S. Journal might remember his comments about the Exatron Stringy Floppy. Others will remember his “Let’s Build a Compiler” tutorial series. His “Programmer’s Toolbox” column appears in Embedded Systems Design magazine, for which he is also a contributing editor.

This interview was conducted over January and February 2009.

Level I BASIC

Matthew Reed — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 20:42:14 +0000

When the TRS-80 Model I was first released in 1977, the BASIC interpreter that Microsoft was writing, Level II BASIC, was still months away from completion. Instead the Model I originally shipped with a BASIC interpreter known as Level I BASIC.

Level I BASIC was based on “Palo Alto Tiny BASIC”, a 2K version of Tiny BASIC written by Dr. Li-Chen Wang for the May 1976 issue of Dr. Dobb’s Journal. Because Dr. Li Chen-Wang placed his BASIC in the public domain (he labeled it “@COPYLEFT; ALL WRONGS RESERVED”), Steve Leininger, the designer of the TRS-80, was able to use it as a starting point. He added floating point math, cassette, keyboard, and video routines, doubling the size of the original code to 4K.

Dr. Dobb’s Journal

Matthew Reed — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 23:33:48 +0000

Dr. Dobb’s Journal was one of the longest running microcomputer magazines, lasting 33 years in print form. It was first published in January 1976 as Dr. Dobb's Journal of Computer Calisthenics & Orthodontia with the subtitle “Running Light Without Overbyte”. The title of the magazine was eventually shortened to Dr. Dobb’s Journal.

The name “Dr. Dobb” didn’t refer to a real person but was created by combining the first names of Bob Albrecht and Dennis Allison, the founders of the magazine. The magazine was originally created to promote the concept of Tiny BASIC, a small but powerful BASIC interpreter that could be used on the new microcomputers such as the Altair.