IBM PCjr BASIC Reference (June 1983)
The IBM PCjr BASIC reference (Hardware Reference Library), First Edition, June 1983, IBM part number 1507784, written by Microsoft Corp. for IBM. 682 pages.
Its preface is worth quoting because it settles a common confusion: "This book is a reference for both Cartridge and Cassette versions of BASIC for the PCjr. Throughout this book, the term BASIC refers to both versions". A separate BASIC Tutorial was shipped with the machine to teach programming; this book assumes you already can.
What it contains
[edit | edit source]The full PCjr BASIC language reference — commands, statements, functions and variables, with syntax, remarks and examples — covering the PCjr's extensions over PC BASIC, including its sound and graphics capabilities.
What it does not contain
[edit | edit source]No text layer — an image-only scan of 682 pages.
No hardware content: no voltages, no pinouts, no FRU numbers, no schematics, no component values. For PCjr hardware see IBM PCjr Technical Reference.
What it settles
[edit | edit source]It confirms the two-version structure of PCjr BASIC — Cassette BASIC in ROM and Cartridge BASIC on a plug-in cartridge — and documents them as one language, which is the correct reading when a program fails on one and not the other.
Download it here: IBM PCjr BASIC Jun83.pdf