Overview
ISO/IEC 10279:1991 specifies Full BASIC as an international programming language standard. It is formally derived from the American National Standard ANSI X3.113-1987 and references ECMA-116 for the mini-graphics module. The document defines the language organization, conformance rules, and technical content (syntax and semantics are provided by the cited ANSI standard). Annexes A and B are informative.
Key Topics
- Language basis: Full BASIC is defined by reference to ANSI X3.113-1987 for program syntax, semantics, data formats, numeric precision/range, and string limits.
- Modular structure: Conformance is expressed in up to fifteen modules (examples include the core, subset core, enhanced-internal/native file modules, graphics, mini-graphics, real-time, fixed decimal, and editing).
- Conformance rules:
- Program conformance - syntactic validity and global constraints.
- Implementation conformance - must accept and process all conforming programs, report rejections, handle exceptions, and meet data precision/character-set minima.
- Reserved words: The standard expands the list of reserved keywords (a set of identifiers that shall not be used by programs in the subset core).
- Error and exception handling: Defines detection, reporting, propagation, and default recovery procedures for exceptions; implementations must document handling of undefined or implementation‑defined behaviour.
- Mini-graphics and graphics: ECMA-116 defines the mini‑graphics module included by reference; graphics use coordinate/window/viewport mappings and basic clipping semantics. The mini-graphics features relate to a subset of GKS functionality.
- Documentation requirements: Implementations must document enhancements and how they treat implementation‑defined or undefined features.
Applications and Who Uses It
- Software vendors and developers implementing or porting BASIC interpreters/compilers who need to ensure language conformance and program portability.
- Organizations aiming for interchangeability of BASIC programs across different hardware and operating systems.
- System integrators and legacy application maintainers working with historical BASIC codebases who require a standardized specification for behavior, file formats, numeric precision, and graphics primitives.
- Test and certification bodies creating conformance test suites for ISO/IEC 10279 modules.
Related Standards
- ANSI X3.113-1987 - primary normative reference for syntax and semantics.
- ECMA-116 - referenced for the mini-graphics module.
- GKS / ISO 7942 - referenced in the context of graphics semantics.
Keywords: ISO/IEC 10279, Full BASIC, ANSI X3.113-1987, ECMA-116, BASIC conformance, mini-graphics, programming language standard, BASIC implementation.
