Should you code in the Assembly
or BASIC language?
This is an interesting
question. I, the creator of this site, have gotten by just fine with
the BASIC
language. It's quite a challenge to get
things to work and work EFFICIENTLY in the BASIC language.
Because there are relatively few commands, some
things, like Tetris in BASIC, can be an interesting
challenge. But, what about Assembly?
If you don't know how to code in Assembly, you may think - I can
do anything in Assembly! It may seem like
the Holy Grail of TI Calculator programming, but consider
these points before spending hundreds of hours
learning Assembly.
Lets
first consider the things you need to code in BASIC or in Assembly.
To code in BASIC, you need
a calculator, maybe a manual, and an idea - this
is not very much at all. Now, to code in Assembly, you
need Assembly Studio 86 and a computer to put
it on to write the actual program. Then, you have to
seek out info about the commands etc. in Assembly.
So, once you have a program written, you have to
debug it - this is where it can get tricky ;)
First, you need to get a program that sends the ROM image of
your calculator to the computer. This requires
a graph link to send the ROM program to your calculator,
and the same link to send the ROM image back.
Your ROM version can be found by typing Alpha then S
in the Mode menu on your calculator (just
don't hit enter after that or it will erase everything!). So, once
you have to ROM image on your computer, you need
an emulator program that uses the ROM image of
your calculator to test the program. This
is so you don't have to crash your calculator just to test
programs in Assembly. Next point - which
language can you take farther?
BASIC
is fine for programming things on the screen. It its most simplified
form, BASIC is turning
pixels on and off - This can be really cool if
you do the right stuff. Now, that's all BASIC can do, keep that
in mind as I talk about what Assembly can do.
First, ASM can turn the pixels on and off, scroll text of
both sizes (BASIC can do that to) and side scroll
sprites, something BASIC could never do. After pixels
comes gray scale, exclusive to ASM. With
gray scale, you can make animations, display photos, many
possibilities open up. Next, Assembly can
produce sound out of the link port. True, BASIC can use the
link port to make chat programs, but ASM can
send synchronized sound through the link port during
games like Mario! Just get the adapter,
and you have sound. Assembly can also be manipulated to
control Infrared devices with an infrared emitter
hooked up to the link port. This area of ASM is totally
foreign to me, but it is possible. So,
Assembly has the keys to open closed doors BASIC can only dream
of. Now what do you think is better?
You may still answer ASM ROCKS! to
this question. But, do you
want to spend the time it takes to learn Assembly?
The commitment is up to you. BASIC can yield quick,
and sometimes not bad results, but in the long
run, ASM takes the cake for superiority in what you can
accomplish.
