submit urlsubmit rss feedadd directory

article

In computer programming, BASIC (an acronym for Beginner's All-purpose Symbolic Instruction Code The acronym is tied to the name of an unpublished paper by Thomas Kurtz and is not a backronym, as is sometimes suggested,) refers to a family of high-level programming languages. It was originally designed in 1963, by John George Kemeny and Thomas Eugene Kurtz at Dartmouth College, to provide access for non-science students to computers. At the time, nearly all computer use required writing custom software, which was something only scientists and mathematicians tended to do. The language (in one variant or another) became widespread on home microcomputers in the 1980s, and remains popular to this day in a handful of heavily evolved dialects.

History


Prior to the mid-1960s, computers were extremely expensive tools used only for special-purpose tasks. A simple batch processing arrangment ran only a single "job" at a time, one after another. During the 1960s, however, computer prices began to decrease and even small companies could afford them, and speed increased to the point where they often sat idle without jobs to run.

Programming languages in the batch programming era tended to be designed, like the machines on which they ran, for specific purposes (such as scientific formula calculations or business data processing or eventually for text editing). Since even the newer less expensive machines were still major investments, there was strong tendency to consider efficiency (ie, execution speed, and such) to be the most important feature of a language. In general, these specialized languages were difficult to use and had widely disparate syntax.

More on [ BASIC ]


directory of related categories

 

 

 

 
 
directory of related topics

Comparison and Review :: Languages
Procedural :: Interpreted
Open Source :: Languages
Procedural :: Languages

 
BASIC RSS feed
eWeek - RSS Feeds

How Wall Street Can Mitigate Financial Fraud Using Biometric Authentication
Mon, 06 Oct 2008 11:23:24 -0400
Risk control procedures are not enough to mitigate fraud on Wall Street. The current financial meltdown provides evidence that many banks and financial institutions have failed to change systems and people in order to mitigate fraud and to comply with regulations and standards. Biometric authentication is a reliable solution for preventing security breaches. Knowledge Center contributors Paul Foote and Reena Hora explain why the financial industry needs to supplement its internal controls compliance with biometric authentication. - Daily, trillions of dollars are transferred worldwide in funds and securities through financial systems. The magnitude of this exposes the financial institutions and their customers to a very high risk of deliberate and accidental fraud. Many government and industry regulations and standards such as...
eWeek Newsbreak, Oct. 6, 2008
Mon, 06 Oct 2008 10:29:25 -0400
Could it be true? Did Apple really drop their non-disclosure agreement for released iPhone software? Ashley explains what Apple's decision could mean to you and the applications you use. The Chinese government is monitoring the conversations of Skype users, scanning all communications for sensitive keywords including Taiwan Freedom, Communist Party and Voice of America. The data, including users personal information is then being stored in publicly accessible servers. Google's energy team is out to save the planet. They've put out a proposal outlining how the U.S. could cut back on energy consumption and develop green industries to create new jobs. Toshiba is looking to use its Super Charge Ion battery to help extend the life of your lap top. The innovative battery gets a 90-percent charge in just ten minutes. And finally, although not in production, Lamborghini showed off its four door concept car at the 2008 Paris Motor Show. - Video Content....
Google, Yahoo Delay Search Ad Partnership
Mon, 06 Oct 2008 10:21:13 -0400
The Google-Yahoo deal announced in June to share advertising was widely seen as an effort to help fend off Microsoft's efforts to acquire Yahoo, by bringing Yahoo an additional $800 million in annual revenues. - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Google Inc and Yahoo Inc have decided to delay implementing a controversial search advertising partnership, Yahoo said on Friday. quot;The companies have agreed to a brief delay in implementing this agreement to continue our ongoing discussions with the [U.S.] Department of ...
IBM is Closer to Building Bluehouse to Compete With Cisco, Google, Microsoft
Mon, 06 Oct 2008 10:19:48 -0400
IBM opens a beta for Bluehouse, the company's SAAS social networking and collaboration platform. The offering will compete with cloud computing solutions from Google, Microsoft and Cisco at a time when messaging and collaboration platforms are moving into the Web. - Update: IBM continues to drive the unified communications and collaboration bus, speeding closer along the road to Bluehouse, the company's SAAS (software as a service) social networking and collaboration software for businesses. When IBM introduced Bluehouse last January at its annual Lotusphere ...
DRAM Storage Chip Makers Face Credit and Supply Challenges: iSuppli
Mon, 06 Oct 2008 10:18:40 -0400
DRAM storage chip suppliers Samsung, Elpida Memory and Powerchip Semiconductor face tougher challenges in servicing debts and financing capital expenditure as banks become more cash-strapped under the Wall Street financial crisis and global credit crunch, according to iSuppli. iSuppli cut its near-term market rating on dynamic random access memory (DRAM) storage chips used mainly in personal computers to negative from neutral. DRAM storage chip maker Samsung Electronics is the only chip maker not suffering losses. - SEOUL (Reuters) - DRAM suppliers face tougher challenges in servicing debts and financing capital expenditure as banks become more cash-strapped under the global credit crunch, research firm iSuppli said. quot;Even with the expected intervention by the U.S. government, this crisis means the co...
eBay to Lay Off 10 Percent of Employees, Acquire Bill Me Later Payments and Craigslist Competitor
Mon, 06 Oct 2008 10:09:13 -0400
The eBay online auction site will pay $1.3 billion to buy the Bill Me Later online payments service to add to its PayPal division and Den Bla Avis and BilBasen, a Craigslist-like online classified service. eBay will also lay off 10 percent of its work force and sees third-quarter revenue hitting the low end of its forecast. eBay said the job cuts would affect about 1,000 employees and several hundred temporary workers. The reduction is expected to incur restructuring charges of about $70 million to $80 million, mostly in the fourth quarter. - NEW YORK (Reuters) - EBay Inc plans to cut its work force 10 percent and sees third-quarter revenue hitting the low end of its forecast, though profit will exceed expectations, the online auction Web site said on Monday. EBay also said it would spend more than $1.3 billion to buy companies that...

The Seattle Times: Business & Technology

Countrywide suit settled; homeowners to get aid
Mon, 06 Oct 2008 00:19:36 -0700
More than 10,000 Washington state homeowners who are at risk of foreclosure will get help with their mortgages as part of a record $8.4 billion settlement between Countrywide Financial and officials in 11 states.
Ballmer went to Europe bearing good tidings
Sun, 05 Oct 2008 22:29:03 -0700
The last time the economy plunged into darkness, Microsoft broke free from the shackles of its U.S. antitrust case.
That Web 2.0? We are so over that
Sun, 05 Oct 2008 22:32:50 -0700
As much as economic bubbles keep bursting all about us these days, it seems only a matter of time before the same happens to the ultrahip Web 2.0 phenomenon.

NYT > Technology

The Future of Reading: Using Video Games as Bait to Hook Readers
Mon, 06 Oct 2008 07:03:09 -0000
Publishers, authors and even libraries are embracing video games to promote books to young readers.
Dawn of Low-Price Mapping Could Broaden DNA Uses
Mon, 06 Oct 2008 09:10:47 -0000
A start-up company called Complete Genomics says it will start charging $5,000 next year to determine a person’s complete genetic blueprint.
EBay Cuts 10% of Work Force
Mon, 06 Oct 2008 12:33:00 -0000
The move to cut about 1,000 jobs is an attempt by eBay to improve the performance of its core marketplace division, which has seen declining growth in the last few years.

CNN.com - Technology

An eco-friendly way to cool big trucks
Mon, 06 Oct 2008 09:35:43 -0400
More than 7 percent of the U.S.'s daily oil consumption is attributed to heavy-duty truck idling, according to estimates. Many truckers, while resting at truck stops, idle their engines in hot weather to cool their cabs. But now a company has developed an eco-friendly cooling device that works with the engine off.
How to measure your 'water footprint'
Mon, 06 Oct 2008 09:47:50 -0400
Most people by now will be familiar with the term 'carbon footprint' and may even have calculated it themselves, but how many are familiar with their 'water footprint'?
Report: 1 in 4 mammals at risk of extinction
Mon, 06 Oct 2008 10:37:19 -0400
Read full story for latest details.

NPR Topics: Technology

New Solar Cell Easy As Pizza To Make
Sat, 04 Oct 2008 12:16:00 -0400
The iJET is a new type of solar cell that's cheap and easy to make, requiring not much more than a pizza oven, some nail polish remover, and a common inkjet printer. Australian scientist Nicole Kuepper describes her invention.
SpaceX Celebrates First Successful Rocket Launch
Fri, 03 Oct 2008 13:53:00 -0400
SpaceX's flagship Falcon1 rocket has successfully launched from an island in the central Pacific, becoming the first privately-developed rocket to orbit the planet. NASA has already contracted SpaceX to begin private space flight missions to the International Space Station beginning in 2010.
Northeast States Trade Carbon Emission Credits
Fri, 03 Oct 2008 13:46:00 -0400
A consortium of Northeast states has completed the first cap-and-trade greenhouse gas auction in the U.S. Under cap-and-trade, limits are set on emissions. Companies that do not use up their quota of emissions are able to sell their excess emission capacity to other companies.

BBC News | Technology | UK Edition

Europeans sought over hack attack
Mon, 06 Oct 2008 11:10:44 -0000
The FBI is seeking a British man and his German accomplice over attacks on web shops selling satellite TV equipment.
China 'spying on Skype messages'
Fri, 03 Oct 2008 01:38:32 -0000
Chinese officials are censoring messages sent through the internet service Skype, Canadian researchers say.
Music stars unite to seek control
Fri, 03 Oct 2008 23:30:43 -0000
Acts including Robbie Williams and Radiohead join a coalition to try to gain ownership and control of their music from record labels.

Reuters Video: Technology

Shazam enters new era
Sun, 05 Oct 2008 20:22:20 -0400
Oct 6 - The mobile music discovery service has seen a surge of new users after broadening its offering to work seamlessly with social networks.
Solar clothes
Fri, 03 Oct 2008 15:30:01 -0400
Oct. 3 - Argentine designer looks to the future by creating solar-powered clothing.
Ring ring, bling bling
Fri, 03 Oct 2008 14:21:52 -0400
Oct. 3 - Ring ring, bling bling; NIntendo's latest player, 3D reality, and a hybrid motorbike.

AP Top Technology News At 10:54 a.m. EDT

EBay to cut 1,000 jobs, will buy Bill Me Later
Mon, 06 Oct 2008 14:04:15 -0000
SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) -- EBay Inc., which still reaps big profits but has been struggling to attract new users, said Monday it will cut about 1,000 jobs in an attempt to streamline its business. The cuts amount to 10 percent of eBay's work force....
Ask.com hopes to make search faster, more relevant
By RACHEL METZ Mon, 06 Oct 2008 13:15:38 -0000
NEW YORK (AP) -- Assuming your company's name isn't a verb synonymous with looking things up online, how do you get Web surfers to not just try your search engine, but also frequent it?...
Fraud plagues prepaid calling card market
By JOELLE TESSLER Sun, 05 Oct 2008 19:54:15 -0000
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Rosalba Posada can tick off a list of problems she has encountered trying to use prepaid calling cards to stay in touch with family back in Colombia....

CNET News.com

Suit against magazine-sharing site settled
Mon, 06 Oct 2008 08:04:00 -0700
The magazine-sharing site Mygazines.com is removing much of its copyrighted content after reaching a settlement in a suit filed by magazine publishers.
GigaOm's tech blogs pull in $4.5 million
Mon, 06 Oct 2008 08:02:00 -0700
Alloy Ventures leads Giga Omni Media's third round of funding, which was planned both as a means for growth and a safeguard against economic troubles.
Two Europeans indicted over U.S. cyberattacks
Mon, 06 Oct 2008 08:01:08 -0700
A 24-year-old from England and a 25-year-old from Germany face conspiracy and computer damage charges related to a large-scale DDoS attack resulting in major financial losses.

 
Subscribe to Computers RSS feed

directory of related sites

500 Altair Disk Extended Basic - Microsoft's First Product (1975). How it was done. A quick user's guide to the language. Boot up BASIC and try it.

Basic Micro MBasic - A BASIC compiler for PICmicro MCUs . By Basic Micro.com, Inc. [Commercial]
Meta Description: [ Ever wanted to learn how to program PICmicro® MCUs ? Now you can with easy to use Basic. Much simpler than C or Assembly. MBasic for PICmicro® MCUs cr ]

BASIC Programming - A compiler author's thoughts on programming in BASIC.

Basic-like Language Alternatives Compilers - Comprehensive list of basic-like languages for Windows and Linux which can compile to stand alone EXEs files.

BeeBasic - An Basic-like embeddable scripting language. BeeBasic engine is a static-link library. [Open source, Commercial]

Blassic - An basic interpreter that run on windows and linux. [Open source, GPL]

Chipmunk BASIC - An old-fashion BASIC interperter for the Macintosh. BASIC programming resources.

COMAL - Archives for CBM/PET and the C64. Files for Commondore machines.

ethosBASIC - A user support site helps everyone create computer games and programs using ethosBASIC.
Meta Description: [ Ethos allows anyone to create cool programs and games in BASIC. ]

Free BASIC Script Language - FBSL is a Free BASIC Script Language tool dedicated to 32/bit Windows platforms like Windows 9.x, Millenium, NT and 2000.
Meta Description: [ No Summary ]

FreeBASIC - A 32-bit BASIC compiler, with the syntax the most compatible possible with MS-QuickBASIC, that adds new features such as pointers, unsigned data types, inline-assembly. [Open-source, LGPL]
Meta Description: [ FreeBASIC compiler official page (a free BASIC compiler): downloads, news, forums ]

Full Moon Software - offers add-on products and utilities for several Basic languages for DOS. The entire catalog and some demo programs are available for download.

Gambas - A graphical Basic language for Linux with objects and plug-ins.

GFA Basic Windows Programming - This site is designed to give users of GFA Basic Windows help. It has a beginners section where no previous knowledge is required, an amateurs section where you can improve your skills and an experts section where you can find out about advanced programming techniques.
Meta Description: [ This site is designed to give users of GFA Basic Windows help. It has a beginners section where no previous knowledge is required, an amateurs section where you can improve your skills and an experts section where you can find out about advanced programming techniques. ]

History of BASIC - A history of one of the most commonly used programming languages.

HTBasic - BASIC for Windows, Linux, HP-UX and DOS. MS Office integration. GPIB and GPIO interfaces. VXI solutions. HP 700 add-ons. By Tech Soft GmbH.
Meta Description: [ HTBasic: Rocky Mountain Basic / HP BASIC compatible development system for PC and UNIX including IEEE-488, GPIO, DDE and data acquisition support. Full line of HP BASIC products. Tixi-Mail: Always Online - Even Offline. ]

IBasic - A simple to use BASIC like language that creates stand alone executables. Site includes programming samples, documentation, source code library, and an active user forum. [Shareware]
Meta Description: [ Create stand alone programs with the IBasic line of BASIC compilers. Intuitive programming for everyone. , ]

Just BASIC - A free version of BASIC for Windows. Supports creation of standalone programs.

404 KBasic - Provides an implementation of the Basic programming language for KDE. Describes the programming language as well as available and planned applications to support it in KDE.

Lemick - A project to make a programming language similar to those traditional Basic implementations but with all the attributes of the modern programming tool. Current version is a bytecode compiler and interpreter/JIT compiler implemented in pure C with flex (scanner) and bison (parser).

MBasic - A fast Basic interpreter for Windows consoles platforms based on Sylvain Bizoirre's Mini Basic language. Assembly sourcecode is included.

Megabasic - A web site on Mega Basic, contains tutorials, and files.

MoonRock compiler - A free compiler for a Basic-like language, with QuickBasic source code.

NBASIC - A BASIC interpreter designed to mimic the operation of 8/16bit microcomputers of the early 1980's like the Tandy Color Computer, Apple IIe, Commodore 64, Texas Instruments TI-99/4A.
Meta Description: [ NBASIC is a classic BASIC interpreter that provides an environment similar in operation to microcomputers of the early 1980's. ]

O'Basic - Visual Script Language for Windows95, 98, NT and 2000.

Phoenix Object Basic - A unique object-oriented RAD tool for Linux.

PICBASIC - The official UK PIC Basic Compiler web site.

Proton Plus PIC BASIC Compiler - Produce applications for PICmicro without having to learn the relative complexity of assembler, or wade through the gibberish that is C. [Free and commercial versions]

PureBasic - Home of PureBasic, a new high level programming language based on established BASIC rules.
Meta Description: [ Fantaisie Software Official WebSite. PureBasic - Feel The Pure Power. PureBasic is a programming language based on established BASIC rules ]

Raiders of the Lost Altair BASIC Source Code - Reporting on the lost Altair BASIC source code [The Register]

ScriptBasic - Open Source GPL BASIC interpreter supporting Win32, UNIX, Linux. Rich set of features, many built-in functions. External modules written in C. Modular. Interpreted internal code. Internal code cache for fast execution. Compiled to C. Source is pure C.

Serial Basic - A Basic-like programming language designed for serial port communications to rs232 devices. [Freeware]
Meta Description: [ Serial Basic is an RS232 Programming language that allows you to send serial commands to an RS-232 device and put the results in a variable. The RS 232 result can be parsed with a strong set of programming functions including ]

SXWIZ Basic Compiler for the SX28 - Basic compiler for the Ubicom SX28 Micro. Works with the SXKEY emulator. [Commercial]
Meta Description: [ Basic Compiler for the Ubicom SX18,SX20 and SX28 micros. Works with the Parallax SX-KEY and SV TEHS SX_DEVS emulators. ]

The BASIC Archives - Very complete FAQ page with many links to other BASIC sites.

500 The Online Software Museum - Altair BASIC - Logon to an Altair.

thinBasic - Windows BASIC-like script interpreter for Windows versions with Internet Explorer 5.5 or higher. Developed in Power Basic.
Meta Description: [ thinBasic - your automation script engine ]

Ubercode - Windows programming languages Ubercode, a BASIC-like language, and Visual Fred, a VisualBasic-compatable language.
Meta Description: [ Ubercode - the easiest way to create programs! ]

VMM Basic - A virtual machine that execute a byte-code program, compiled from language, the syntax is similar to Basic languages, that have intern motion detection commands, intern sprite commands based on DirectX, network commands, for simplify game development.

WarkenSoft Productions BASIC Homepage - WarkenSoft Productions is dedicated to bringing quality BASIC programming to the WWW.
Meta Description: [ Specializing in the production of quality PHP scripts and tools for use by webmasters around the wor ]

Win32 PS2 YaBasic Port - Contains executable to allow you to run PlayStaion2 programs programmed in YaBasic as well as links, an FAQ and sample programs. [Open Source]

wxBasic - A free, Open Source Basic interpreter for creating portable GUI applications in Windows and Linux. Can create stand-alone executables.

X11-Basic - A BASIC shell script interpreter for UNIX/Linux with full X11-Graphics support. [Open source, GPL]
Meta Description: [ X11-Basic Homepage ]

XCSB (XC Structured BASIC) - Optimising structured PIC BASIC compiler producing fast native machine code for the PIC microcontroller. [LITE version is FREE for personal non-commercial use]
Meta Description: [ Optimising structured PIC BASIC compiler ]

BASIC related videos
We get asked about wig styling a lot, so here is the first part of hopefully several instructional videos our fine group ...
Next Video

 

HOMEADVERTISINGABOUT US

articlesartsbusinesscomputersgameshealthhospitalshomekids & teensnewsmobilephysiciansrecreationreferenceregionalscienceshoppingsocietysportsworld


Submit a Site About Become an Editor