Editing Locomotive BASIC (section)

== Development ==
Development was based on existing work recently undertaken writing [[Mallard BASIC]] for [[Acorn Computers]] Z80 addon for the [[BBC Micro]]. It is reported to have taken around 12 weeks to enhance the existing code, and was "very influenced" by [[BBC BASIC]], though adding additional functions to do things that would have required [[assembly language]] on the BBC.{{ref|theregister smith 20140212}}

The "ARNOLD" platform (the CPC464 development codename) was designed to be solid enough to attract the "serious" users Amstrad wanted. Locomotive were engaged to produce the firmware and BASIC for the platform. The mix produced a comprehensive result with technical capabilities almost unheard of in any one contemporary platform - the tidy approach to firmware access with fixed jump blocks, the hypothecation of the firmware into modules, the clever hardware allowing expandability, with multiple pages of RAM and ROM all occupying the same address-space, simultaneously accessible, re-locatable display memory etc. many of which appeared only partially, or not at all on rival platforms.