I first learned to program in Sinclair Basic on a Spectrum, and later in GW-Basic for DOS. That didn't last long; fancier, more powerful languages lured me away soon enough, and I didn't return to 8-bit platforms until 2013 or 2014. That too was short.
A couple more years down the road, however, I rediscovered another old interest, namely programming language implementation. And Basic is as fun to implement as it is to use! I started with prototypes in JavaScript and Python, then moved on to more serious stuff:
(Want to learn how to make your own? See my interpreter construction book.)
Other dialects
"It's not a real Basic if it
doesn't have line numbers."
Oh yeah? More for me!
See also: notes on various Basic dialects.
More Basic links
The Troy Press blog posts extensively about Basic. Other links:
- Awesome Basic:
A curated list of awesome BASIC dialects, IDEs, and tutorials
- GotBASIC.com:
For all people interested in the continued usage and evolution of the BASIC programming language.
- Phat Code: old, huge resource about Basic and (game) programming in general; offers hosting to many valuable projects
- The Basics' page: largely obsolete but still fascinating database of compilers and interpreters
- BASIC Computer Games: the classic book, all online
- GW-Basic: Gee Whiz! |
Central Hub for GW-BASIC
- Tiny BASIC
Interpreter and Compiler Project
And some related headlines from over the years:
Including an ancient one: Commodore BASIC as a Scripting Language for UNIX and Windows – now Open Source (28 October 2008)