BASIC Language History

The cluster focuses on the history, implementations, and nostalgia for BASIC programming language variants like Microsoft BASIC, QBASIC, C64 BASIC, and modern recreations, including books, interpreters, and comparisons across old computers.

➡️ Stable 0.5x Programming Languages
4,011
Comments
20
Years Active
5
Top Authors
#5014
Topic ID

Activity Over Time

2007
6
2008
11
2009
38
2010
74
2011
75
2012
75
2013
118
2014
127
2015
152
2016
207
2017
159
2018
301
2019
284
2020
390
2021
257
2022
409
2023
517
2024
326
2025
472
2026
13

Keywords

RAM MS CPU QuickBasic QB64 POKE openlibrary.org ASM GWBASIC PEEK basic microsoft bbc c64 assembly language interpreters amiga language written dos

Sample Comments

mongol Jun 9, 2018 View on HN

Microsoft Basic on C64 was cool

tenebrisalietum Jun 28, 2019 View on HN

Program in the old BASICS, such as BASICA or QBASIC. Very fun.

dmbche Sep 3, 2025 View on HN

How about when they invented BASIC

richardjam73 Mar 20, 2023 View on HN

This Book https://openlibrary.org/books/OL3783110M/Implementing_BASICs Explains how much of it is done

jbverschoor Jan 5, 2023 View on HN

He’s right.. this is what BASIC used to be

valarauca1 Aug 25, 2014 View on HN

BASIC was made for beginners ;)

randallu Oct 31, 2012 View on HN

Hey, some people learned programming with BASIC on Z80...

coldtea Feb 17, 2015 View on HN

Have you looked at modern BASICs?

ngaut Oct 20, 2018 View on HN

Here is a blog post: https://blog.steve.fi/so_i_wrote_a_basic_basic.html

mattl Jun 11, 2023 View on HN

Sinclair BASIC does something similar