BASIC

Revision as of 10:17, 16 July 2011 (view source)

Revision as of 11:05, 16 July 2011 (view source)

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<blockquote>In discussing software, I don't want to leave out the most important aspect, vis., the exchange of those programs less complex than interpreters or compilers that can be written by hobbyists and shared at little or no cost. I think in the foreseeable future, literally thousands of such programs will be available through user libraries. The availability of standardized compilers and interpreters will have a major impact on how quickly these libraries develop and how useful they are.</blockquote>

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Gates certainly had a concept of software that would allow for it to be sold and tightly controlled by a corporation, but he was hardly seeking to eliminate hobbyist programming and the sharing of code. The company's policies ran counter to the ethic of the Homebrew Computer Club and the People's Computer Company in significant ways; yet Microsoft facilitated not only the creation of new software with its version of BASIC, but also the exchange of programs that Gates mentioned. Through licensing deals with computer companies, Microsoft did a great deal to bring BASIC out of the minicomputer time-sharing environment and onto microcomputers and beyond, to the early adopters and enthusiast programmers.

+

Gates certainly had a concept of software that would allow for it to be sold and tightly controlled by a corporation, but he was hardly seeking to eliminate hobbyist programming and the sharing of code. The company's policies did run counter to the ethic of the Homebrew Computer Club and the People's Computer Company in significant ways; yet Microsoft facilitated not only the creation of new software with its version of BASIC, but also the exchange of programs that Gates mentioned. Through licensing deals with computer companies, Microsoft did a great deal to bring BASIC out of the minicomputer time-sharing environment and onto microcomputers and beyond, to the early adopters and enthusiast programmers.

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Another sign that Microsoft was not completely at odds with the PCC is found in Appendix M to the original Altair BASIC manual. On this list of "a few of the many texts that may be helpful in learning BASIC," all but one of the books can be ordered from the PCC, whose address is listed. Five of the six books are about BASIC specifically, but the manual also lists the radical and countercultural ''Computer Lib / Dream Machines'' by Theodore H. Nelson. In 1987, an edition of this book would in fact be published by Microsoft Press.

+

Another sign that Microsoft was not completely at odds with the PCC is found in Appendix M to the original Altair BASIC manual. On this list of "a few of the many texts that may be helpful in learning BASIC," all but one of the books can be ordered from the PCC, whose address is listed. Five of the six books are about BASIC specifically, but the manual also lists the radical and counter-cultural ''Computer Lib/Dream Machines'' by Theodore H. Nelson. In 1987, Microsoft would in fact publsih an edition of this book.

Ultimately, BASIC became what it was in 1982 thanks to the institution of higher education where it was first developed, the corporation that implemented and licensed it for use on home computers (including the Commodore 64), and, significantly, the hacker ethic of code sharing that allowed BASIC programs -- such as 10 PRINT -- to circulate freely.

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@@ Line 120: / Line 120: @@
 <blockquote>In discussing software, I don't want to leave out the most important aspect, vis., the exchange of those programs less complex than interpreters or compilers that can be written by hobbyists and shared at little or no cost. I think in the foreseeable future, literally thousands of such programs will be available through user libraries. The availability of standardized compilers and interpreters will have a major impact on how quickly these libraries develop and how useful they are.</blockquote>
-Gates certainly had a concept of software that would allow for it to be sold and tightly controlled by a corporation, but he was hardly seeking to eliminate hobbyist programming and the sharing of code. The company's policies ran counter to the ethic of the Homebrew Computer Club and the People's Computer Company in significant ways; yet Microsoft facilitated not only the creation of new software with its version of BASIC, but also the exchange of programs that Gates mentioned. Through licensing deals with computer companies, Microsoft did a great deal to bring BASIC out of the minicomputer time-sharing environment and onto microcomputers and beyond, to the early adopters and enthusiast programmers.
+Gates certainly had a concept of software that would allow for it to be sold and tightly controlled by a corporation, but he was hardly seeking to eliminate hobbyist programming and the sharing of code. The company's policies did run counter to the ethic of the Homebrew Computer Club and the People's Computer Company in significant ways; yet Microsoft facilitated not only the creation of new software with its version of BASIC, but also the exchange of programs that Gates mentioned. Through licensing deals with computer companies, Microsoft did a great deal to bring BASIC out of the minicomputer time-sharing environment and onto microcomputers and beyond, to the early adopters and enthusiast programmers.
-Another sign that Microsoft was not completely at odds with the PCC is found in Appendix M to the original Altair BASIC manual. On this list of "a few of the many texts that may be helpful in learning BASIC," all but one of the books can be ordered from the PCC, whose address is listed. Five of the six books are about BASIC specifically, but the manual also lists the radical and countercultural ''Computer Lib / Dream Machines'' by Theodore H. Nelson. In 1987, an edition of this book would in fact be published by Microsoft Press.
+Another sign that Microsoft was not completely at odds with the PCC is found in Appendix M to the original Altair BASIC manual. On this list of "a few of the many texts that may be helpful in learning BASIC," all but one of the books can be ordered from the PCC, whose address is listed. Five of the six books are about BASIC specifically, but the manual also lists the radical and counter-cultural ''Computer Lib/Dream Machines'' by Theodore H. Nelson. In 1987, Microsoft would in fact publsih an edition of this book.
 Ultimately, BASIC became what it was in 1982 thanks to the institution of higher education where it was first developed, the corporation that implemented and licensed it for use on home computers (including the Commodore 64), and, significantly, the hacker ethic of code sharing that allowed BASIC programs -- such as 10 PRINT -- to circulate freely.