HORIZONS: 64
CHARLES BRANNON
PROGRAM EDITOR

Many people are searching for an alternative to BASIC. BASIC is easy to use, easy to learn, and almost carefree in style and coding. Yet BASIC is not as fast as a high-level language can be. It does not encourage or support modular or even structured programming. It is a very general language, so it lacks commands specific to certain situations, such as graphics, games, business/professional applications, and mathematical work. It's also hard to teach and grade (compared to a language like Pascal).

The microcomputer world knows several languages which have come down to earth from the mainframe computers: COBOL, FORTRAN, Pascal, PL/I, LISP, APL, even ALGOL. Languages which work out particularly well on micros include BASIC, of course, PILOT, Logo, C, and Forth. These languages work well within the speed and memory limitations of many personal computers.

The business community has been transforming its software choices by adapting the larger languages (COBOL, FORTRAN) to 64K