Editing TI BASIC (TI 99/4A) (section)

{{Short description|Programming language for TI-99 home computers}}
{{about|TI-99/4A programming language|the calculator language|TI-BASIC}}
{{Infobox programming language
| name = TI BASIC
| logo = TI BASIC HELLO WORLD.png|
| file_ext = 
| paradigm = [[Imperative programming|Imperative]]
| year = {{Start date and age|1979}}
| designer = 
| developer = 
| latest_release_version = 
| latest_release_date = 
| latest_test_version = 
| latest_test_date = 
| typing = [[Static type|Static]], [[Strong and weak typing|strong]]
| implementations = 
| dialects = 
| influenced_by = 
| influenced = 
| platform = [[TI-99/4A|TI-99/4, TI-99/4A]]
| operating_system = 
| license = Proprietary
| website = 
| wikibooks = 
}}

'''TI BASIC''' is an [[American National Standards Institute|ANSI]]-compliant [[interpreter (computing)|interpreter]] for the [[BASIC]] programming language built into the 1979 Texas Instruments TI-99/4 [[home computer]] and its improved 1981 version, the [[TI-99/4A]].

In contrast to most BASICs found on contemporary [[microcomputer]]s, TI BASIC does not trace its history to [[Microsoft BASIC]], but was instead developed in-house following the emerging [[Minimal BASIC]] standard being created by ANSI and [[Ecma International|ECMA]]. This was, in turn, based on the original [[Dartmouth BASIC]] from the 1960s. There are a number of differences, sometimes subtle, between TI BASIC and the more common MS varieties.

Minimal BASIC lacks a number of features that are commonly found on contemporary BASICs, and Texas Instruments later introduced the '''TI Extended BASIC''' cartridge that enhanced the functionality accessible to BASIC users. This included a wide variety of features found in other BASICs, as well as new system functions for [[sprite (computer graphics)|sprite]] handling, sound, and other features of the platform.

As was common on home computers, TI BASIC was used not only for programming but also as a thin [[operating system]]. On top of Minimal BASIC, TI added commands for text, graphics, and basic file operations like recording to [[Cassette tape|tape]] or any other file system. Due to the specifics of the TI-99 platform, TI BASIC was most notable for its extremely slow performance, roughly half that of common machines, but conversely sported high numerical accuracy.