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> I've heard of a product, (from Apple, I assume) called MAC Basic.
> Yesterday in the MIT Coop I ran across a nice thick book about it,
> better than the average DEC language manual (ok, folks, that's a high
> standard), from SYBEX publishing. It didn't say one word about
> MicroSoft. I checked some syntax and keywords against an MS Basic
> manual. Clearly different.
> ... 
> I've even heard, (faintly) about people having this product in some
> form.
> 
> Does this thing exist, (and if so, what is it?) or is it all
> confusion about MS Basic V2 or something like that?

I have a copy of the Sybex book (bought it in the Harvard Coop, in fact).
It does say a couple of words about Microsoft Basic, by way of contrast to
Mac Basic.  I've also seen a copy of Mac Basic (the actual software).  It
was a pre-release, version number somewhat less than 0.5, if I recall.

The story I've heard is that MS Basic, version 1, was based on the typical
MS Basic for typical PC's, which is why it was so lousy on the Mac.
According to the story, MS Basic, version 2, *is* Mac Basic, after Microsoft
bought it from the original developers.  I'm not sure this is entirely true,
but there is a striking resemblance.  I haven't checked in much detail.
I bought MS Basic a few weeks ago, but I've been tied up with other things
and haven't done a lot with it.

-- 
Ephraim Vishniac
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