Commodore PET User Manual page 11

programs work. It is the "how" and the "why" that are important if vou want to
learn how to make your PET work efficiently for vou.
This book is a complete guide to the use of the PET computer.
Chapter 1 is a general introduction to the personal computer and BASIC
language.
Chapter 2 describes how to operate the PET keyboard, display seree n, and
magnetic tape cassette unit; it also describes rudimentary troubleshooting tech-
niques.
Chapter 3 introduces vou to BASIC. the programming language of the PET.
Chapter 4 is an alphabetical reference of PET BASIC commands, statements.
and functions.
Chapter 5 describes "features" and programming quirks of the PET - and
how to get around limitations of PET BASIC. You will find this chapter highly
useful in understanding your PET and how to really go about programming it.
Chapter 6 contains useful system information and describes such tech-
niques as how to execute assembly language programs under PET BASIC.
A summary of reference material is contained in appendices to the book.
The chapters are divided, roughly, into three technical levels. as follows:
1. If vou are a novice who wishes to use pre-written programs. vou can get
by with the loading and editing techniques described in Chapter 2.
If vou find using the PET to be a lot of fun at this stage, and vou
want to learn more about computers. a recommended book is An
Introduction to Microcomputers: Volume 0 - The Beginner's Book,
Osborne/McGraw-HiIL 2nd Edition, 1979.
2. If vou are a beginning programmer. and vou want to write your own pro-
grams in PET BASIC, then Chapter 3 will get vou started. In addition,
detailed descriptions of individual BASIC statements are given in
Chapter 4.
3. You will probably find that your programs occasionally do odd things.
These peculiarities are accounted for in Chapter 5 - necessary reading
for the advanced programmer. In Chapter 5 vou will find coverage of
topics su ch as Extended Precision Arithmetic and File 1/0. The system
information in Chapter 6 is written for experienced programmers who
need to know about PETs memory layout. for example. so vou can write
assembly language subroutines to be run under PET BASIC.
Interfacing the PET to external devices is such a large topic in itself that a
separate book is devoted to it. This Personal Computer Guide concerns itself only
with the PET keyboard, display screen, and magnetic tape cassette unit. the latter
either built-in or provided externally. See the references listed in Appendix E for
sources of interfacing information on other peripheral input/output devices
available for the PET.
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