BBC BASIC for SDL 2.0

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BBCSDL running on Windows

BBCSDL running on Linux (Ubuntu)

BBCSDL running on MacOS

BBCSDL running on Raspberry Pi

BBCSDL running on Android

BBCSDL running on Amazon Fire TV

BBCSDL (64-bit) running on iOS

BBCSDL running in Firefox

The Desktop editions (Windows, MacOS, Linux, Raspberry Pi) include a BASIC program editor with syntax colouring, live indentation, search & replace and many other features. Built-in diagnostic aids such as run-time trace, listing of variables, single-step execution and a profiler make debugging even the most complex programs straightforward.

The Android and iOS editions, for smartphones and tablets, have a simplified interface optimised for touchscreen control. It too provides a BASIC program editor with syntax colouring, live indentation, search & replace and other features; see here for more details. The Android edition will run nicely on a (64-bit) Chromebook, particularly if you enable window resizing.

The in-browser edition also uses the simplified interface, it is compatible with desktop versions of Brave, Chrome, Edge, Firefox, Opera, Safari & Vivaldi; the Android versions of Chrome and Firefox, and with Safari on iOS. It will also run on a Chromebook.

The Android edition will also run on the Amazon Fire TV or Fire TV Stick and some smart TVs. Several of the supplied example programs can be operated using the navigation wheel and buttons on the remote control, including most of the games. Any sounds or music created by a BASIC program will be played through the speaker(s) of the attached TV.

You can 'compile' your BASIC program to a standalone application bundle which will run without BBC BASIC having to be installed (.exe file in Windows, .dmg file in MacOS, .zip file in Linux or Raspberry Pi OS and .apk file in Android via the BBC2APK utility). You can distribute such application bundles freely without any royalty for BBC BASIC being due.

BBC BASIC for SDL 2.0 is largely compatible with BBC BASIC for Windows; it shares with that dialect many new and advanced features including data structures, PRIVATE variables, an EXIT statment, long strings, event interrupts, an address-of operator, byte variables, a line continuation character, indirect procedure and function calls and improved numeric accuracy. It also retains a high degree of compatibility with the BBC Microcomputer, including emulation of the SOUND and ENVELOPE statements, and the MODE 7 (teletext) screen mode.

Up to 4 Gbytes of memory (256 Megabytes in 32-bit editions and 32 Mbytes in the in-browser edition) is provided for the user's program, data and stack (subject to sufficient RAM being available). Unlike some older versions of BASIC, you won't suffer the frustration of running out of memory! Line numbers are optional.

BBC BASIC incorporates an assembler* which can be used when the speed or other capabilities of the interpreter are inadequate. The assembler depends on the CPU in your device: x86 (32-bit or 64-bit) for Windows, MacOS or Linux; ARM (32-bit or 64-bit) for Raspberry Pi. In the case of Android the assembler is ARM or x86 as appropriate. You can access Application Program Interface (API) functions from BASIC and from assembler code, allowing an experienced programmer to produce sophisticated applications.

BBC BASIC for Windows programs that call Operating System API functions, or that rely on libraries that do not have a direct equivalent in both dialects, will need to be adapted in order to be compatible with BBCSDL. Also, programs that use the *FONT command will require a small alteration. But otherwise programs can be expected to run with little or no modification. Of course, programs that incorporate assembly language code will not run on an ARM-based Android device or Raspberry Pi without significant changes. Details of the differences between BB4W and BBCSDL may be found here.

BBC BASIC for SDL 2.0 is entirely free and may be downloaded for the supported platforms as follows :

Windows edition (Installer) (19.5 Mbytes)

Windows edition (32-bit, Zip) (21.4 Mbytes)

Windows edition (64-bit, Zip) (21.7 Mbytes)

MacOS edition (64-bit) (25.7 Mbytes) ‡

Linux edition (32-bit, x86 CPU) (19.9 Mbytes)

Linux edition (64-bit, x86 CPU) (19.9 Mbytes)

Raspberry Pi OS edition (32-bit) (19.9 Mbytes)

Raspberry Pi OS edition (64-bit) (19.9 Mbytes)

Android edition from the Google Play Store

iOS or iPadOS edition from the Apple App Store

In-browser edition (not IE) (2.0 Mbytes)

The Windows edition is available either as an installer or a Zip archive which simply needs to be extracted to a suitable place. The MacOS, Android and iOS editions are self-installing. The Linux and Raspberry Pi editions must first be unzipped, and then installed according to the instructions in the supplied text file. The in-browser edition needs no installation.

‡ On a Mac you will need to override the "unidentified developer" security warning; there are instructions for doing that here. Please note that the app is signed and is therefore protected against tampering; the warning simply means that it has not been reviewed by Apple. This edition is x86 (Intel) code but will run nicely on an M1 ('Apple silicon') Mac under Rosetta 2 emulation.

* The iOS and in-browser editions are exceptions. Because iOS does not permit 'arbitrary code execution' the assembler, the CALL statement and the USR function are not usable. This is a restriction imposed by Apple and is unavoidable.

Version	Date	Modification summary (click on the version number for details)
1.40a	01-Jul-2024	64-bit Windows binary; integer arrays aligned; updated aagfxlib & pdflib libraries; added truchet.bbc & vampire.bbc examples; bug fixes.
1.39a	26-Feb-2024	Increased initial memory; VDU 19 supports opacity; updated arraylib & gpiolib libraries; added smithchart.bbc & keywords.bbc examples.
1.38a	13-Nov-2023	Added Hebrew to DejaVuSansMono; added @fn%(21) table entry; added tabs to editbox.bbc; added timerdem.bbc & settab.bbc; bug fixes.
1.37a	01-Sep-2023	Added system variable @cache%; updated SDLIDE & BBCEdit IDEs; added calculator.bbc example program; a few minor bug fixes.
1.36a	31-Jul-2023	Windows edition makes standalone EXEs; SDLIDE supports bi-directional text; new analyser & Hello_Box2D examples; updated libraries.
1.35a	06-Apr-2023	Fixed PLOT 68 plotting when it shouldn't; use unbuffered I/O for serial devices; new examples blacksmith.bbc, carousel.bbc, welcome.bbc.
1.34a	07-Feb-2023	Updated SDL2, SDL2_ttf and SDL2_net to the latest versions; updated pdflib library; new script library; new Add SDL Constants utility.
1.33a	28-Oct-2022	Enabled *float 80 in ARM editions; fixed compiler.bbc failed upload; added FN_readlinesocketM to socklib; restored Ceefax Sport index.
1.32a	20-Aug-2022	SDLIDE supports keyword abbreviations; added mysqllib library & mysqldem example program; fixed a minor mouse coordinate issue.
1.31a	18-Jun-2022	Updated SDL2, SDL2_ttf & stb_image; listboxes now support multiple selection; updated telstar.bbc; new pdfdemo.bbc example program.
1.30a	08-May-2022	Improved iOS edition; updated the compile & touchide utilities; updated gfxlib library; added bugs.bbc & pageturn.bbc example programs.
1.29a	26-Mar-2022	Updated aagfxlib library; updated searchin utility; added conway.bbc & video.bbc example programs; support for serial I/O; minor bug fixes.
1.28a	10-Feb-2022	Updated dlglib, gfxlib & imglib (to support animated GIFs) libraries; added anigif.bbc example program; modified telstar.bbc to send CR.
1.27a	30-Dec-2021	Added support for web bundles; updated audiolib and gfxlib libraries; added candle.bbc example program; several minor bug fixes.
1.26a	19-Nov-2021	New audiolib & gfxlib libraries; new cowboy.bbc & metronome.bbc example programs; minor compatibility improvements & bug fixes.
1.25a	08-Oct-2021	PAGE may be lowered (with care!); new SUM operator (modulo-264 addition); stringlib library updated to support 64-bit integers.
1.24a	20-Aug-2021	Added GCOL 5-7; relative plot commands don't discard the LSB; fixed a memory leak on string array initialisation; fixed bugs in SDLIDE.
1.23a	09-Jul-2021	Added 64-bit Raspberry Pi edition; added msgbox library; updated BBCEdit; more Mac shortcuts; fixed cruncher bugs, and more.
1.22a	28-May-2021	Added more Mac keyboard shortcuts; added cradle.bbc & Box2D sample demos; updated sudoku.bbc; some performance optimisations.
1.21a	16-Apr-2021	Supports some Mac keyboard shortcuts; added box2ddbg library; added pinball.bbc & voronoi.bbc examples; several minor bug fixes.
1.20a	03-Mar-2021	Fixed FOR...NEXT bug in ARM editions; added f1-f4 shortcuts in Ceefax.bbc; removed timeout from sudoku.bbc; several minor bug fixes.
1.19a	22-Jan-2021	Extended *dump cmd; new editbox & menulib libraries; new gorillas & textedit examples; new macro recorder for SDLIDE; bug fixes etc.
1.18a	04-Dec-2020	New -borderless switch; PTR() accepts FN/PROC name; pdflib.bbc, raytrace.bbc & saa505x.bbc added; BBCEdit updated; bug fixes etc.
1.17a	23-Oct-2020	New shaderlib and webgllib libraries; BBCEdit IDE updated; Ceefax.bbc updated to track BBC website changes; bug fixes and more.
1.15a	11-Sep-2020	New PTR()= statement and SYS function; SDLIDE has breakpoints and can print a listing; updated Ceefax.bbc & telstar.bbc; bug fixes etc.
1.14a	03-Aug-2020	New *dump command, updated IDEs, updated dlglib.bbc & filedlg.bbc, updated SkyBaby.bbc & telstar.bbc examples, bug fixes etc.
1.13a	19-Jun-2020	MODE7 & SOUND improvements, smooth listbox scrolling, new classlib & mode7lib libraries, new example sortdemo.bbc, bug fixes & more.
1.12a	08-May-2020	Improved file selector, touchide copies directories, new example programs bbclock.bbc, dunebuggy.bbc & kerning.bbc; bug fixes and more.
1.11a	27-Mar-2020	Render batching; MODE 7 font changed; new example programs spotlight.bbc, pintograph.bbc & trebuchet.bbc; bug fixes and more.
1.10a	15-Feb-2020	Box2D physics engine bundled; kaleidoscope.bbc, crates.bbc, dangle.bbc & lotto.bbc example programs added; bug fixes and more.
1.09a	11-Jan-2020	New Memory Monitor utility, dlglib library improved, Ceefax simulator updated to include weather, travel & local news, and more.
1.08a	01-Dec-2019	Bug fixes, eventlib made 64-bit compatible, added ellipsefit.bbc, bezierfit.bbc and multitouch.bbc example programs, SkyBaby updated.
1.07a	20-Oct-2019	Bug fixes, treeview has a scrollbar, aagfxlib supports dotted/dashed lines, listboxes can be drag-scrolled, new SkyBaby example program.
1.06a	03-Sep-2019	Antialiased graphics (via new aagfxlib library); assembler fixes; aagfxdem.bbc, knots.bbc & BBSterm.bbc example programs added.
1.05a	25-Jul-2019	Bug fixes, Goto Line in SDLIDE, combobox support, updated DejaVuSans font, new fluid.bbc & 3D animation to accompany skaters.bbc .
1.04a	23-Jun-2019	VDU 23,24,n| adjusts character spacing; @tmp$ is now always user-specific; hangman.bbc & figleaf.bbc example programs added.
1.03a	12-May-2019	BBCEdit IDE updated; Search BASIC programs utility added; multi-column list boxes; mandel.bbc rewritten to run on all platforms.
1.02a	04-Apr-2019	ARM & 64-bit editions buffer files; dlglib includes trackbar support; new polydots & recorder examples, telstar.bbc updated, bug fixes.
1.01a	23-Feb-2019	VDU 23,23 works with circles/ellipses/arcs; RECTANGLE SWAP added; SDLIDE improvements; disco, slitscan, surks & swirl examples.
1.00a	01-Feb-2019	SDLIDE loads Acorn-format files, Cross Reference utility, ARM align directive, ellipse & treeview libraries, seascape & ellipses examples.