BASIC
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This "Beginner's All-purpose Symbolic Instruction Code" has a fabled cultural and technical history. BASIC was developed by John Kemeny and Thomas Kurtz, two professors at Dartmouth College. In 1964 its creators freely shared a working version of the language. This lead to its widespread use, both at the high school and college level. | This "Beginner's All-purpose Symbolic Instruction Code" has a fabled cultural and technical history. BASIC was developed by John Kemeny and Thomas Kurtz, two professors at Dartmouth College. In 1964 its creators freely shared a working version of the language. This lead to its widespread use, both at the high school and college level. | ||
| − | By that time, general-purpose computers had existed for about two decades. Many were still programmed in low-level machine languages, but high-level languages (those abstracted from the details of an individual machine) had also been in widespread use for a decade. While BASIC has its own distinguishing features, it also continues the history of high-level languages, building on what FORTRAN, Algol, and other languages had accomplished: a more natural syntax, easier use, and greater portability across platforms. | + | By that time, general-purpose computers had existed for about two decades. Many were still programmed in low-level machine languages, but high-level languages (those abstracted from the details of an individual machine) had also been in widespread use for a decade. While BASIC has its own distinguishing features, it also continued the history of high-level languages, building on what FORTRAN, Algol, and other languages had accomplished: a more natural syntax, easier use, and greater portability across platforms. |
| − | BASIC's invention in an educational context is significant. The language was developed for an early time-sharing environment, the Dartmouth Time-Sharing System (DTSS). 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--differs considerably from that of the personally owned, relatively inexpensive, single-user computers of the microcomputer era. But in the early 1960s, the DTSS also distinguished itself from earlier systems that required the batch processing of stacks of punched cards. Time-sharing allowed people to engage with and explore computation in significant new ways; BASIC was an important part of this computing revolution. Both DTSS and the BASIC language it ran were designed for educational contexts, so ease of use was paramount. This design value unwittingly facilitated BASIC's massive adoption and success, even if it also subjected the language to criticisms later on. | + | BASIC's invention in an educational context is significant. The language was developed for an early time-sharing environment, the Dartmouth Time-Sharing System (DTSS). This configuration was revolutionary in allowing many programmers to use a single system interactively at the same time. A system of this sort -- with many terminals connected to a mainframe or minicomputer -- differs considerably from the personally owned, relatively inexpensive, single-user computers of the microcomputer era. But in the early 1960s, the DTSS also distinguished itself from earlier systems that required the batch processing of stacks of punched cards. Time-sharing allowed people to engage with and explore computation in significant new ways; BASIC was an important part of this computing revolution. Given the educational purpose of DTSS and BASIC, ease of use was paramount. And being easy to use helped lead to BASIC's massive adoption and success. |
BASIC became even more influential as microcomputers entered 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 partnership, Microsoft. | BASIC became even more influential as microcomputers entered 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 partnership, Microsoft. | ||
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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 the structured 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 the structured 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. | ||
| − | Despite or because of its popularity, BASIC has become a target of derision for many modern programmers. 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 twenty-first 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 has become a target of derision for many modern programmers. Inextricably associated with Microsoft and that bane of structured programmers, GOTO, the language has been 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 twenty-first 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 == | ||
