BASIC
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10 PRINT is a computer program that operates in a particular way; it does so, in part, because it is written in a particular programming language, BASIC. This "Beginner's All-purpose Symbolic Instruction Code" has an interesting cultural and technical history. BASIC was developed by John Kemeny and Thomas Kurtz, two professors at Dartmouth College; it became operational in 1964 and was freely shared by its creators, leading to its widespread use in education, at the high school as well as college level. By that time, general-purpose computers had been programmed for about two decades and high-level languages had been in widespread use for a decade. While BASIC has important, distinguishing features, it also continues the history of high-level languages, building on what FORTRAN, Algol, and other languages accomplished. | 10 PRINT is a computer program that operates in a particular way; it does so, in part, because it is written in a particular programming language, BASIC. This "Beginner's All-purpose Symbolic Instruction Code" has an interesting cultural and technical history. BASIC was developed by John Kemeny and Thomas Kurtz, two professors at Dartmouth College; it became operational in 1964 and was freely shared by its creators, leading to its widespread use in education, at the high school as well as college level. By that time, general-purpose computers had been programmed for about two decades and high-level languages had been in widespread use for a decade. While BASIC has important, distinguishing features, it also continues the history of high-level languages, building on what FORTRAN, Algol, and other languages accomplished. | ||
| − | BASIC's invention in an educational context is significant. The language was developed an important early time-sharing environment, the Dartmouth Time-Sharing System. This sort of setup was revolutionary in allowing many programmers to use a single system interactively at the same time. The configuration of such a system, with many terminals connected to a mainframe or minicomputer, was very different from that of the personally owned, inexpensive, single-user computers of the microcomputer era. It was also very different from the batch processing of stacks of punched cards, though. Time-sharing allowed people to engage with and explore computation in significant new ways; BASIC was an important part of this computing revolution. | + | BASIC's invention in an educational context is significant. The language was developed for an important early time-sharing environment, the Dartmouth Time-Sharing System. This sort of setup was revolutionary in allowing many programmers to use a single system interactively at the same time. The configuration of such a system, with many terminals connected to a mainframe or minicomputer, was very different from that of the personally owned, relatively inexpensive, single-user computers of the microcomputer era. It was also very different from the batch processing of stacks of punched cards, though. Time-sharing allowed people to engage with and explore computation in significant new ways; BASIC was an important part of this computing revolution. |
The story of BASIC became even more interesting as microcomputers came to market and into people's homes. In 1975, the MITS Altair 8800 computer, widely acclaimed as the first home computer, became available. Perhaps the most significant piece of software for this system was Altair BASIC, an interpreter for the BASIC programming language that was the first product of a new company, Microsoft. The alternative Tiny BASIC, developed outside of corporate structures, exemplified the way that recreational programs such as 10 PRINT would be created and distributed. Thanks in large part to Microsoft, BASIC became the lingua franca of home computing. Microsoft's versions of the language were standard on many popular microcomputers and were provided in ROM so that the computer could be turned on and immediately programmed. BASIC reigned in the late 1970s and through the early 1980s, when 10 PRINT circulated on paper and was being keyed in by numerous users. It was obvious at the time that BASIC was the canonical language -- so obvious that some books of BASIC programs do not even find it necessary to mention "BASIC" on their cover. | The story of BASIC became even more interesting as microcomputers came to market and into people's homes. In 1975, the MITS Altair 8800 computer, widely acclaimed as the first home computer, became available. Perhaps the most significant piece of software for this system was Altair BASIC, an interpreter for the BASIC programming language that was the first product of a new company, Microsoft. The alternative Tiny BASIC, developed outside of corporate structures, exemplified the way that recreational programs such as 10 PRINT would be created and distributed. Thanks in large part to Microsoft, BASIC became the lingua franca of home computing. Microsoft's versions of the language were standard on many popular microcomputers and were provided in ROM so that the computer could be turned on and immediately programmed. BASIC reigned in the late 1970s and through the early 1980s, when 10 PRINT circulated on paper and was being keyed in by numerous users. It was obvious at the time that BASIC was the canonical language -- so obvious that some books of BASIC programs do not even find it necessary to mention "BASIC" on their cover. | ||
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While the heyday of the language did not last, interesting new versions of BASIC, sometimes radically reformulated, continued to appear. The creators of the original language introduced True BASIC in 1983. In 1985, Microsoft's QuickBASIC offered several innovations and made line numbers optional. Microsoft's even more radically different Visual Basic saw widespread use in creating business applications. | While the heyday of the language did not last, interesting new versions of BASIC, sometimes radically reformulated, continued to appear. The creators of the original language introduced True BASIC in 1983. In 1985, Microsoft's QuickBASIC offered several innovations and made line numbers optional. Microsoft's even more radically different Visual Basic saw widespread use in creating business applications. | ||
| − | BASIC joins COBOL as one of the major whipping boys among programming languages. Inextricably associated with Microsoft and that bane of structured programmers, GOTO, the language is said to encourage the writing of spaghetti code, to be unbearably slow, and to be suitable only for children and amateurs. Yet many programmers in the early 21st century remember BASIC fondly. The language was a popular success, worked well for small programs that let people explore the possibilities of computing, and fostered creativity and innovation by new categories of computer users. | + | Despite or because of its popularity, BASIC joins COBOL as one of the major whipping boys among programming languages. Inextricably associated with Microsoft and that bane of structured programmers, GOTO, the language is said to encourage the writing of spaghetti code, to be unbearably slow, and to be suitable only for children and amateurs. Yet many programmers in the early 21st century remember BASIC fondly. The language was a popular success, worked well for small programs that let people explore the possibilities of computing, and fostered creativity and innovation by new categories of computer users. |
== A Brief History of Programming == | == A Brief History of Programming == | ||
