Re: BASIC turns 60

Mike S. <Mike_S@nowhere.com> wrote:

On Wed, 01 May 2024 17:16:40 -0400, Spalls Hurgenson
<spallshurgenson@gmail.com> wrote:

In some ways BASIC was the Java of its time; a common language that
(more or less) ran on many different computers regardless of
hardware.* Many classic games were coded in BASIC, and -even as the
world slowly moved away from that language - many developer's first
steps (and games!) were made using BASIC. Microsoft's first product
was a BASIC interpreter; without it, they'd never have had the cash to
'create' their DOS operating system and we might still all be under
the thumb of IBM (and probably still using 16-bit processors. IBM
hated innovation). I myself have semi-fond memories of typing in BASIC
programs from some magazine into my 8-bit PC, and then struggling to
understand what the hell I was doing.

This is how I remember BASIC as well. Typing in programs from
magazines. I definitely spent more time typing them in then playing
them though.

Heh, I remember manually typing from 3-2-1 Contact magazines! Some didn't work. :(
--
"Do not be quick with your mouth, do not be hasty in your heart to utter anything before God. God is in heaven and you are on earth, so let your words be few." --Ecclesiastes 5:2. 26 yrs. :O
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