BASIC refers to a family of general-purpose, high-level programming languages designed to be easy to use.
The original BASIC (Beginner's All-purpose Symbolic Instruction Code) was designed at Dartmouth College in 1964, the goal being to encourage students in fields other than science and mathematics to learn to program and use computers. Prior to the release of BASIC, computer use required writing custom software, and programmers tended to be scientists and mathematicians.
Many of the early computer video games were written in early versions of BASIC. The production of microcomputers in the mid-1970s led to the development of Microsoft BASIC in 1975, followed shortly by a variety of Tiny BASIC dialects. Soon, a version of BASIC was available for nearly every computer system on the market, and it became the default programming language for the 1970s home computer systems.
Other forms of BASIC include, or included, Altair BASIC, Applesoft BASIC, Atari BASIC, BASIC-256, BASIC for Qt(R), BBC Basic, Casio BASIC, Commodore BASIC, Creative Basic, Dartmouth BASIC, FreeBASIC, GLBasic, GW-BASIC, IBM Cassette BASIC, IBM Disk BASIC, IBM BASICA, IWBasic, Just BASIC, Liberty BASIC, Logic Basic, Objective-BASIC, Play BASIC, PowerBASIC, PureBASIC, QBasic, QB64, Quite BASIC, RFO Basic, RobotBASIC, Run BASIC, Sinclair BASIC, Smart BASIC, thinBASIC, TI-BASIC, Tiny BASIC, Turbo Basic, wxBasic, XBasic, ZBasic, and others.
As more powerful machines came on the market in the 1980s, BASIC fell from favor, with Pascal and C gaining in popularity. Nevertheless, several versions and dialects of BASIC continue to be used, often as learning platforms for students.
In 1991, Microsoft released Visual Basic, which combined an updated version of BASIC with a visual forms builder. Regularly updated and maintained, VB continues to be an important programming language, largely in the form of VB.NET. However, Visual Basic is covered in its own category here.
Websites whose topics are focused on any of these program languages are appropriate for this category. This includes pages offering downloadable programming language files and documentation, as well as tutorials and reviews. Individual BASIC languages may be separated into their own category if there are enough listed sites to warrant it.
Recommended Resources
An upgrade from KBasic, the BASIC dialect is related to and combines features of VB.NET, Visual Basic, Visual Basic for Application, and Java, including backward support for these tools, as well as QBasic. The full-featured object-oriented language includes a compiler, IDE, Runtime, and Qt Designer. Developed in Germany, it is available in English. A trial version may be downloaded from the site, or the full version may be purchased. Full documentation and tutorials are included.
https://www.q7basic.org/
Created by Ian Larsen and James M. Reneau in 2014, the main purpose of the project was to provide a simple programming environment to teach middle and high school students the basics of computer programming. BASIC-256 is a simple version of BASIC, with the code editor, text output window, and graphics editor window all visible on the same screen. Full documentation is provided, along with a user support forum, and a link to where it can be downloaded.
http://basic256.org/
Developed in 1981 as a native programming language for the MOS Technology 6502-based Acorn BBC Micro personal computer, BBC BASIC is a version of the BASIC programming language adapted for a computer literacy project of the British Broadcast Corporation. Based on Atom BASIC, for the Acorn Atom, BBC BASIC ran programs much faster than Microsoft BASIC. Still maintained and upgraded, versions are available for several platforms, some carrying different names.
http://www.bbcbasic.co.uk/
FreeBASIC is a self-hosting compiler for Microsoft Windows, DOS, and Linux, released as free and open-source, under a GPL. When used in QB language mode, FreeBASIC provides support for programs written for QuickBASIC, and it fully supports the use of C libraries and has partial support for C++ libraries. Available for downloading from the site, full documentation is also provided, including a programmer’s guide, community tutorials, and installation instructions.
https://www.freebasic.net/
Developed by Dream Design Entertainment Software, GLBasic is a commercial BASIC programming language able to compile to Windows, macOS, Linux, and some handheld devices. Like BASIC, the language is designed to be easy to learn and intuitive. Apps created with GLBasic can be uploaded to the Apple App Store, Google Play, and HP’s App Catalog. Its features are highlighted, an online manual is included, and a free version may be downloaded from the site.
https://www.glbasic.com/
Just BASIC is a free programming language in the BASIC family, its premium version being Liberty BASIC. Designed to be easy to use, the language includes structures programming facilities and intuitive GUI commands, as well as a syntax coloring code editor, and can be used to create standalone Windows programs royalty-free. A full tutorial and several example programs are available. Screenshots and an online community support forum are included.
http://www.justbasic.com/
LB is a commercial computer programming language and integrated development environment developed by Shoptalk Systems in 1992, and it has been maintained and progressed steadily since then. Promising a simple environment for programming for Windows, a free trial version is available, along with an interactive tutorial system. Its attractiveness to educators and in game creation is outlined, its features are highlighted, with instructional videos, and a community forum.
http://www.libertybasic.com/
Designed for the same reasons that the original BASIC programming language become popular, Logic Basic is intended for those without programming experience, to be easy to learn and to use, with a simple structure similar to the BASIC language, but capable of producing modern programs for Windows and Linux platforms. An online presentation is published to the site, along with the language’s features, screenshots, support services, and a tutorial forum.
http://www.logicbasic.net/
Similar to Visual Basic and Objective-C, Objective-Basic is a BASIC programming language for the Mac computer, designed to be easy to use, object-oriented, compiled, and stable, with a runtime that is based entirely on Cocoa, an object-oriented application environment designed specifically for developing macOS native applications. Mobile support, for iPad, iPhone, and iPod devices, is included. Free for non-commercial applications, it may be purchased from the site.
https://www.objective-basic.com/
Originally known as Turbo Basic, PowerBASIC is the brand for several commercial compilers developed by PowerBASIC, Inc. that compile a dialect of the BASIC programming language. Included is a version for MS-DOS and versions for Windows Console and PC. PowerBASIC programs are self-contained and do not use a runtime file to execute. Its products include PowerBASIC for Windows, PowerBASIC for Console, PB Forms, and PowerTREE for Windows.
https://www.powerbasic.com/
Based on established BASIC rules, PureBasic is a native 32-bit and 64-bit programming language offering portability to Windows, Linux, and macOS, fast and highly optimized executables, and simple BASIC syntax. Its main features are highlighted here, along with its specific features for Windows, Linux, and macOS, are defined, and support services are available. Demo versions may be downloaded from the site, and the full version can be purchased online.
https://www.purebasic.com/
QBasic and QuickBASIC, both easy-to-learn programming languages, based on DOS but executable on Windows, may be downloaded from the site, along with other free software for programming in either of these languages, including compilers and interpreters for DOS and Windows, libraries for extending the command set of QuickBASIC, and sample programs, games, and other resources. Online manuals are also available, along with informational articles.
https://www.qbasic.net/
Quite BASIC is a web-based classic BASIC programming environment. The BASIC syntax of the language is outlined, along with its constants, functions, variables, and commands. Sample programs are presented for learning purposes, along with links to classic games. Completed programs may be published using Google Gadgets or saved as files. Other resources include an introductory tutorial, and a blog discusses new developments as well as ways in which it has been used.
http://www.quitebasic.com/
The full-featured, general-purpose, versatile programming language includes an integrated robot simulator, allowing users to simulate a robot with several types of sensors, control a real robot using wireless protocols, create animated simulations and video games, handle complex engineering problems, and motivate students to learn. The language is also used to create contests for robot clubs. A free program download is available, along with documentation, and a forum.
http://www.robotbasic.org/
Developed by Eros Olmi in 2018, thinBASIC is a BASIC-like computer programming language designed for computer automation, but capable of performing a wide range of tasks. Its core provides the essence of the language, but several modules are available for additional functions. The recent version, previous version, and beta versions may be downloaded from the site. Its features, tutorials, and full documentation are available, along with a community forum.
http://www.thinbasic.com/
Licensed under the GNU Lesser General Public License, wxBasic is a free and open-source, cross-platform BASIC interpreter designed to be intuitive and simple to learn, allowing novice programmers to write applications for graphical environments such as Windows and Linux. Hosted on SourceForge, the language may be freely downloaded. Demos of games created with wxBasic are featured on the site, news and updates are posted, and a user support forum is available.
http://wxbasic.sourceforge.net/
Available as open-source software under the GNU LGPL license, XBasic is a variant of the BASIC programming language that was developed for the Motorola 88000 CPU and Unix in the late 1980s. Ported to Windows and Linux in the early 1990s, it was released as open-source in 1999. Actively maintained, its official download site is on SourceForge. Its website features information about downloads, documentation, links, and other resources for the project.
http://www.xbasic.org/
Released in 1980, ZBasic soon had versions for MS-DOS, Apple II, Macintosh, CP/M, and TRS-80 computers. Still maintained and in development, it may be used as a cross-platform development system. The site offers microcontrollers for embedded systems, programmed using ZBasic, a powerful variant of the BASIC language. Also available is the ZBasic IDE, which offers advanced code editing features and project-oriented capabilities. Online documentation is included.
http://www.zbasic.net/
