Installing BBC BASIC for the PDP-11 - MDFS::Software.PDP11.BBCBasic.Docs.index/htm

Installing PDP-11 BBC BASIC

MDFS::Software.PDP11.BBCBasic.Docs.install.htm

To install PDP-11 BBC BASIC the file bbcbasic, basic.sav or basic.rom needs to be downloaded and copied to an appropriate location on your PDP-11 system.

bbcbasic is BBC BASIC for PDP-11 Unix. basic.rom is BBC BASIC optimised for a PDP-11 Tube CoProcessor.
Both will run on PDPTube, but only basic.sav is BBC BASIC for RT11 or RSTS. bbcbasic will run natively on Unix.

!PDPTube on RISC OS

Download PDPTube.zip, extract !PDPTube and save it somewhere appropriate.
!PDPTube comes with PDP-11 BBC BASIC bundled with it, and running !PDPTube by double-clicking on it will run BASIC.
To use a later version of BASIC, download bbcbasic or basic.rom and save it somewhere appropriate. It should be filetyped to &FE6 (UnixEx).
If !PDPTube has been "seen" by the filer and booted, then bbcbasic can be double-clicked on to run it.
!PDPTube can be run with bbcbasic on the command line to run it on startup. For instance: PDP11 adfs::Sylvia.PDP11.bbcbasic

PDPTube on Windows or DOS

Download PDP11Em.exe and save it somewhere appropriate. (see note)
PDPTube comes with PDP-11 BBC BASIC bundled with it, and running PDPTube by double-clicking on it will run BASIC.
To use a later version of BASIC, download bbcbasic or basic.rom and save it somewhere appropriate.
PDP11Em can be run with bbcbasic on the command line to run it on startup. For instance: "C:\Program Files\PDP11\PDP11Em.exe" "C:\My Documents\PDP11\bbcbasic"
On DOS/Windows systems you may find it convenient to rename bbcbasic to bbcbasic.pdp. You can then assign the ".pdp" extension to PDP11Em.

BBC PDP-11 second processor

Download basic.rom and save it somewhere appropriate. It should have load and execution addresses of &B000.
You can load basic.rom into a sideways RAM bank or program it into an EPROM.
With the PDP-11 second processor enabled, *PDP11 will enter BASIC from ROM, or *RUN basic/rom will run it from disk.

Real hardware PDP-11

Download bbcbasic and save it somewhere appropriate.
You then need to copy bbcbasic onto a disk used by the PDP-11.
With Unix is running, BBC BASIC is run by typing bbcbasic.

Using UxFiler to copy BBC BASIC to Ersatz-11 or SIMH

Download UxFiler.exe and save it somewhere appropriate.
Download bbcbasic and save it somewhere appropriate.
Run Ersatz-11 or SIMH, boot Unix and log on as root. See here for sample .INI files.
Create a dummy file for BBC BASIC and set the file mode, for instance:
- with Unix v6: cp /unix /bin/bbcbasic, then chmod 755 /bin/bbcbasic
- with Unix v7: cp /unix /usr/bin/bbcbasic, then chmod 755 /usr/bin/bbcbasic
Log off from Unix and shut down, in SIMH by pressing Ctrl-E, in Ersatz-11 by pressing Shift-Enter, and then enter quit.
Run UxFiler.
Select the Unix disk image with, for instance: mount "C:\My Documents\PDP11\unix0_v6_rk.dsk"
Select the Unix directory with the bbcbasic file in with, for instance: cd usr followed by cd bin.
Copy the bbcbasic file into the disk image with, for instance: import "C:\My Documents\PDP11\bbcbasic" bbcbasic.
Exit from UxFiler with quit, rerun Ersatz-11 or SIMH, boot Unix and log on.
BBC BASIC is run by typing bbcbasic.

Using putr to copy BBC BASIC to Ersatz-11 or SIMH

to be written...

Authored by J.G.Harston
Last update: 20-Aug-2015