File:  readme.txt
Date:  19 April 1995
Revision:  A


                Files available for FTP from cher


I am using cher as an FTP site to support distribution of files related
to my "Amateur Robotics" column that appears in "Nuts & Volts" magazine.

I generally compress all files using PKZIP.  The extension of each
filename is usually some variation of .zxx, where the xx is a two-digit
number.  This number serves as a revision indicator; I increment the
number each time I revise the file.  This makes it easy to spot files
that have changed since you last FTP'ed a copy.



tiny4th

tiny4th.zxx contains the current release of my 68hc11 Forth compiler
and run-time package.  This is a DOS-based compiler that translates a
Forth source file into assembly language source, compatible with the
Motorola FREEWARE asmhc11 assembler.  In fact, the tiny4th.zxx release
file contains a copy of the asmhc11 assembler.

tiny4th programs are usually very small.  Members of the Seattle
Robotics Society (SRS) have written complete robopet firmware in under
2K of code space.  Since tiny4th is an interpretive system, the
execution speed isn't all that great, but it still hits about 20K Forth
instructions per second, which is fast enough to do a lot of hobby
robotics programs.



beta

beta.zxx contains the current beta release of my 68hc11 small Basic
compiler, dubbed SBasic, and its support library.  Eventually, the beta
files will go away and be replaced by files named sbasic.zxx.

NOTE: SBasic is a native-code compiler, unlike tiny4th, which is a
pcode compiler.  SBasic generates in-line assembly language source for
the 68hc11, suitable for assembling with the Motorola FREEWARE asmhc11
assembler.

I wrote (am writing) SBasic so people new to amateur robotics would
have a more-familiar language to use in developing their first robotics
programs.  While SBasic is hardly a full-featured clone of MS QBasic,
it will look and feel more friendly to newcomers than, say, C would.

SBasic programs are small and fast.  Members of the SRS have written
reasonably strong robotics programs that fit in under 512 bytes of code
space.  SBasic will run an empty FOR-NEXT loop at about 71K iterations
per second, using an 8 MHz clock.

I have included a 30-page user's manual in the release file, along with
a set of library routines to support features such as the PRINT
statement.



Karl Lunt
2133 186th Pl., SE
Bothell, WA   98012
karl@mav.com