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What programming languages can 8-bit computers run besides BASIC?

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punchy71

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Hello,
I know that vintage 8-bit computers can all run the BASIC programming language, but what other programming languages can they run and use as well?
Thanks
 
Without more detail this is an open ended question. Do you mean from ROM, or from disk?
I have C, Pascal, Fortran and Cobol for the TRS-80 III/4 family, but they are compilers and would not run from ROM.
 
Some 8-bit computers can't run BASIC. The Jupiter Ace was known mainly for the decision to forsake any type of BASIC in favor of FORTH.

Languages: If the language existed in 1980, it probably had an implementation available for some 8-bit system. I know of many Pascals, Fortrans, Forths, even a COBOL. Now, some of these languages were stripped down to fit in the smaller address space and might not acceptable to people more familiar with big versions of the language. That is especially the case for 8-bit Smalltalk and 8-bit C compilers which don't have the massive standard library.
 
And that's the problem--are we making a list of languages available for 8-bit home computers or are we in search of a universal 8-bit language. I suspect that the former has been done at some point and the answer to the latter is "not likely". My third question is "what do you consider to be a vintage 8 bit system?". There were gaming consoles that were capable of running BASIC, for example. There are probably a few vintage handhelds that couldn't run anything but BASIC.
 
I would guess Forth would be another universal 8-bit programming language in theory- doesn't have many requirements of the CPU.

I would also suspect that it's not quite optimal performance b/c most CPUs are register machines (register accesses are optimized in hardware- take fewest cycles, and plenty of storage), and Forth is a virtual stack machine (stack is in main memory- kind of sequential access).

Hell, maybe even a 4004 could do Forth :p.
 
Did UCSD Pascal ever run on 8-bit machines? Didn't Cromenco have a Cobol? Probably every language you ever encountered could be squeezed into 8-bits with overlays...
 
g4ugm said:
Did UCSD Pascal ever run on 8-bit machines?
Click to expand...

Yes. The better known version was sold as Apple Pascal. There were also a CP/M hosted versions for those that preferred Z-80 or 8080. I remember that some other 8-bit systems had UCSD versions advertised but I don't know which got shipped.
 
As far as non-ROM languages, just about everything had a Pascal or two, many had Fortran, quite a few wound up with some version of C (though for the 8-bitters it was typically a cut-down K&R rather than anything more modern, assuming we don't count cross-compilers,) some even had COBOL. And of course there's basically no computer in existence that the Forth die-hards haven't gotten it running on (heck, the Jupiter ACE even had it as its built-in language!) Not to mention dozens of weird little variants, spinoffs, and original creations.
 
First you have to define 8-bit computer.

I don't know why the number of bits is a limitation. If it's Turing-complete, it can do anything any other Turing-complete machine can do, albeit not at the same speed.
 
g4ugm said:
Did UCSD Pascal ever run on 8-bit machines? Didn't Cromenco have a Cobol? Probably every language you ever encountered could be squeezed into 8-bits with overlays...
Click to expand...

I believe so--at least I have an 8" floppy for it. Remember JRT Pascal? That thing even had virtual memory and could run on an 8080 from a single 8" floppy.
 
Perhaps then we can narrow it down to which programming languages have been offered in ROM format on a system where floppy drive was optional or not available, rather using a tape recorder for secondary storage. BASIC and Forth are obvious, but how about those PILOT, LOGO, Pascal etc - were there implementations as ROM cartridges or internal expansion for any system, or would those generally be compilers that take too much space to be cost-effective to distribute on ROM?
 
ISTR that there was even a Smalltalk for the x80 platform. Perhaps reduced, but as for other languages, they were there--MicroFocus COBOL, DRI PL/I, Microsoft FORTRAN, etc. What was done with the "64K" 8 bitters, I think, is greatly under-estimated.

Remember that the MCM/70 using an 8008, ran APL and had only cassette tape storage.
 
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