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The original source code of Microsoft GW-BASIC from 1983

devblogs.microsoft.com

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Re: The original source code of Microsoft GW-BASIC from 1983

#31

Post by adzm »

pknerd wrote: post #24

GWBasic was good resource to get into programming world during my teenage. Now I want to teach coding to my 10 years old son. Will you still recommend GWBASIC/Quick basic or Python or other languages for kids?

JavaScript since they can make web pages that do things in browsers they are familiar with, which is a huge motivation. Lua so they can mess with Roblox scripting. Then C# mostly for the dev environment And strong types, and Python for the expressiveness. In my humble opinion and experience at least. It's almost always most important to start with something that will augment what they are already interested in.

Re: The original source code of Microsoft GW-BASIC from 1983

#32

Post by axus »

pknerd wrote: post #24

GWBasic was good resource to get into programming world during my teenage. Now I want to teach coding to my 10 years old son. Will you still recommend GWBASIC/Quick basic or Python or other languages for kids?

These days you might use Roblox Studio.

Re: The original source code of Microsoft GW-BASIC from 1983

#33

Post by adzm »

bexsella wrote: post #6

This is great! But it makes me think that Microsoft need to add a BASIC compiler as standard in all Windows distributions. They did that Small Basic thing a while back, but it was too encumbered in .NET-isms, a kind of Visual Basic .NET lite. It would be great if there was just a easy to understand BASIC that you could hack away with that could produce interesting programs without the .NET cruft or the barrier that i…

C# and .net core don't have as much cruft, and the simple dev environment in code or visual studio are invaluable - especially the debuggers which are imo one of the most important learning tools.

Re: The original source code of Microsoft GW-BASIC from 1983

#34

Post by TheOtherHobbes »

RcouF1uZ4gsC wrote: post #17

From a comment in the source > ORIGINALLY WRITTEN ON THE PDP-10 FROM FEBRUARY 9 TO APRIL 9 1975 Wow! I did not realize that it was written so quickly. Two months that literally changed the PC landscape forever.

GW-BASIC was more of a reinterpretation of DEC's PDP-10 BASIC source code than a clean room reconstruction - ironic considering what happened next.

Gates and Allen had already been working on PDP-8 and Data General versions for a while.

Re: The original source code of Microsoft GW-BASIC from 1983

#35

Post by flukus »

4cao wrote: post #7

It's really enjoyable to look at the source. These days one I feel it's quite rare to see assembly code not as an output from a tool like IDA Pro. If I remember correctly, the size of a compiled GWBASIC.EXE file was about 80 kB. What feels weird though is seeing all the files on GitHub last modified "38 years ago," which by the way, also includes the file CODE_OF_CONDUCT.md.

I'm not familiar with modula but this doesn't appear to be a valid program ;)

I think it wasn't until Vim 8 that the default for .md files became markdown.

Re: The original source code of Microsoft GW-BASIC from 1983

#38

Post by WalterBright »

skissane wrote: post #13
LyalinDotCom wrote: post #2

For more information on why this happened check out Richard's blog post: https://devblogs.microsoft.com/commandline/microsoft-open-so...

> (Alas, sorry, we’re unable to open-source the ISA translator.) > Alas, we’re unable to provide sources for these ports and/or customizations. I wonder why. (I guess it might involve code licensed from third parties, co-developed and jointly owned with OEM vendors, or unclear provenance of IP.) I wonder if it will ever change. I hope one day it does. One of these days (probably long after I'm dead) the copyright wil…

Much of the source code from those days is simply lost.

Re: The original source code of Microsoft GW-BASIC from 1983

#39

Post by the_af »

Like others here, I see, I learned to program with GW-BASIC. Well, actually it was with the clunky BASIC from my beloved C64, but I wrote my first actual programs that did something with GW-BASIC, running on a trusty PC XT clone.

I also remember it had a graphics mode -- Hercules card, ambar monochrome monitor -- which sort of resembled Logo's turtle. You gave directions to a sort of pencil tip. I don't remember what the statement was called, but I remember I used it to program games.

I owe a lot to GW-BASIC :)

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