Hello,

I have just discovered your forum and thought I would introduce myself.

Nearly 30 years ago I worked as a programmer at Intelligent Software in the UK, and I wrote the IS-BASIC for the Enterprise. I then went on to write large parts of EXDOS and IS-DOS, and then moved on to BASIC and VT-DOS for the Videoton TVC. I also wrote FORTH for the Enterprise - does anyone still have that?

I am amazed to find the Enterprise still living on!

Unfortunately I never got to keep any source code, or even an Enterprise computer. What's more, it was so long ago I cannot remember many technical details - reading through your forum has brought back many things I had forgotten. By all means ask questions but I don't think I will be able to answer them - you lot know more it than me now!

Keep up the good work!

Edit 2013-03-11: changed topic title to be more meaningful

i thank my old friend the best eight-bit basic!

Welcome here
That is very strange you could not keep the source codes , or you did not get an Enterprise at least.
Why did you give this name to the topic?

Zozo ok! I'ts clean. surprised that genuine. 

There is the first question, I hope it is easy

In the EXOS is a Easter egg: if you set the Status Line system variable to 42 then the developers initials are displayed in the status line.
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Now we know who is the 'BT'
Do you know the names for the other initials?

(And why 42? The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy? )

TVC BASIC was a complete re-write to be smaller and faster but it "borrowed" parts from IS-BASIC

What is the situation with the EXDOS and VTDOS? About how many percentage of the code is same?

When the EXDOS accesses the disk for the first time, you hear a special sound effect by the head stepping (it is because checking for double stepping). Other systems don't do the same, only the EXDOS and VTDOS! For the first hearing you know these are brother systems

It is a strange twist of fate that someone working in a small company in the UK ended up writing much of the software for Hungary's two best-selling computers at the time!

Have you ever been to Hungary?

Intelligent Software was a separate company to Enterprise Computers

Did the Enterprise Computers make the hw and did it order the sw from the Intelligent Software?

How and when did the sw development begin? Did you get a prototype computer or just the specifications?

Which system was used to develope software? Another - for example - CP/M computer?

What is the situation with the EXDOS and VTDOS? About how many percentage of the code is same?
When the EXDOS accesses the disk for the first time, you hear a special sound effect by the head stepping (it is because checking for double stepping). Other systems don't do the same, only the EXDOS and VTDOS! For the first hearing you know these are brother systems

Quite a large percentage, as you have guessed! As much as possible in fact. I can't remember the differences between EXDOS and VTDOS but in general the TVC had to be cheaper than the Enterprise, which meant smaller ROMs so "cut down" versions of the software. I remember working on VTDOS after Enterprise and IS had collapsed; 5 of us from IS had set up a new company Madge Networks to do token ring networking in the IBM PC world, but I carried on with the TVC for a while longer.

Have you ever been to Hungary?

No, I had never had anything to do with Hungary before! Obviously I knew the TVC was for Hungary but it was only some years later that I discovered that the Enterprise had been sold in Hungary too.

Did the Enterprise Computers make the hw and did it order the sw from the Intelligent Software?

IS was a design company, so we generally handed over hw schematics and ROM chips and the customer dealt with the manufacturing and marketing. Before the Enterprise all IS's work had been for chess computers of various sorts for various customers. The Enterprise was a complicated piece of hardware because it included the Nick and Dave chips of course but it was still up to Enterprise to get it into production. Things like Entersoft and the application tips were all organised by Enterprise, I don't remember even knowing about them at the time.

How and when did the sw development begin? Did you get a prototype computer or just the specifications?

I will answer that when I write my memories of the time if you don't mind because it is more complicated than you'd think!

Which system was used to develope software? Another - for example - CP/M computer?

I remember using an original IBM PC to keep the source files on 5 1/4" disks and do the Z80 cross-assembly but I don't remember what Z80 system we used. Possibly a Z80 card that went into the IBM PC. We must have had CP/M systems around too, especially when we did IS-DOS, but I can't remember what they were. BASIC development was underway long before we had prototypes bacause the Nick and Dave chip were quite late arriving. For quite a while we were writing software just by blowing EPROMs...not many debugging facilities! Maybe that was when we first got prototypes, which were big wire-wrap crates about 30cm cubed. Shhhh....at the "launch" (when the Your Computer photo was taken) there was the Enterprise on a desk and a big screen with some fancy graphics demos...but one of these big prototypes hidden under the desk!

No I didn't...surprise!

It was a pleasant surprise, thanks!