Editing Li-Chen Wang (section)

==Palo Alto Tiny BASIC==
{{Main|Tiny BASIC}}

Palo Alto Tiny BASIC was the fourth version of a Tiny BASIC [[BASIC interpreter|interpreter]] that appeared in ''[[Dr. Dobb's Journal|Dr. Dobb's Journal of Computer Calisthenics & Orthodontia]]'', but probably the most influential. It appeared in the May 1976 Vol 1, No. 5 issue,<ref>{{cite journal | last =Wang | first =Li-Chen | title =Palo Alto Tiny BASIC | journal = Dr. Dobb's Journal of Computer Calisthenics & Orthodontia, Running Light Without Overbyte | volume =1 | issue =5 | pages =12–25 | date =May 1976}} Source code begins with the following six lines. TINY BASIC FOR INTEL 8080; VERSION 1.0; BY LI-CHEN WANG; 10 JUNE, 1976; @COPYLEFT; ALL WRONGS RESERVED</ref> and distinguished itself from other versions of Tiny BASIC through a novel means of abbreviating commands to save memory, and the inclusion of an array variable ("@"). The interpreter occupied 1.77 [[kilobyte]]s of memory and assumed the use of a [[Teleprinter|Teletype Machine (TTY)]] for user [[input/output]]. An erratum to the original article appeared in the June/July issue of ''Dr. Dobb's'' (Vol. 1, No 6). This article also included information on adding additional I/O devices, using code for the ''VDM'' video display by [[Processor Technology]] as an example.

Wang was one of the first to use word ''[[copyleft]]'', in June 1976. In Palo Alto Tiny BASIC's distribution notice, he had written "@COPYLEFT ALL WRONGS RESERVED".<ref name="Wang 12–25"/> Tiny BASIC was not distributed under any formal form of copyleft distribution terms but was presented in a context where source code was being shared and modified. In fact, Wang had earlier contributed edits to Tiny BASIC Extended before writing his own interpreter.<ref name="Tiny BASIC Extended"/> He encouraged others to adapt his source code and publish their adaptions, as with Roger Rauskolb's version published in ''[[Interface Age]]''.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Rauskolb|first=Roger|date=December 1976|title=Dr. Wang's Palo Alto Tiny BASIC|journal=Interface Age|volume=2|issue=1|pages=92–108}} (NB. The source code begins with the following nine lines: "<code>TINY BASIC FOR INTEL 8080; VERSION 2.0; BY LI-CHEN WANG; MODIFIED AND TRANSLATED TO INTEL MNEMONICS; BY ROGER RAUSKOLB; 10 OCTOBER, 1976; @COPYLEFT; ALL WRONGS RESERVED</code>")</ref>

Wang also wrote a ''[[Star Trek (1971 video game)|STARTREK]]'' program in his Tiny BASIC that appeared in the July 1976 issue of the ''[[People's Computer Company Newsletter]]''.<ref>{{cite web|title=People's Computer Company|url=https://archive.computerhistory.org/resources/access/text/2017/09/102661095/102661095-05-v5-n1-acc.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180322230154/http://archive.computerhistory.org/resources/access/text/2017/09/102661095/102661095-05-v5-n1-acc.pdf |archive-date=2018-03-22 |url-status=live|access-date=25 December 2019 |page=23}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Turnbull|first=Pete|title=Startrek.asc|url=http://www.dunnington.info/public/startrek/startrek.asc|access-date=25 December 2019}}</ref>