BASIC Programming Culture
10 PRINT 'Hello'
BASIC put programming within reach of ordinary people, creating a generation of developers who learned to code by typing in magazine listings.
Overview
BASIC (Beginner’s All-purpose Symbolic Instruction Code) was designed for accessibility. When home computers arrived with BASIC in ROM, millions of users received their first programming language bundled free. Magazines published program listings readers could type in. The barrier between user and creator was a cursor prompt. Many industry veterans trace their careers to childhood BASIC experimentation.
Fast facts
- Created: 1964 at Dartmouth College.
- Designers: John G. Kemeny and Thomas E. Kurtz.
- Home computer era: bundled in ROM on most 8-bit computers.
- Variants: Microsoft BASIC, Commodore BASIC, Sinclair BASIC, BBC BASIC.
- Decline: replaced by structured languages in professional use.
Learning by typing
How people learned:
- Magazine listings: type programs from print.
- Error discovery: debugging taught programming.
- Modification: change values, see results.
- Progression: from copying to creating.
Platform variants
Different computers, different BASICs:
- Commodore BASIC V2: limited but widespread.
- Sinclair BASIC: compact but capable.
- BBC BASIC: sophisticated with procedures.
- Applesoft BASIC: Apple II standard.