Hackaday · Creativity & design

GW-BASIC Revived for Modern PCs

A project called Thoreau BASIC aims to bring GW-BASIC, an old IBM-compatible programming language, into the 21st century.

Thoreau BASIC is designed to be code-compatible with older GW-BASIC programs, retaining features like line numbers and GOTOs. It can boot on modern PCs via UEFI or run on Windows, supporting 64-bit memory and multithreading.

The updated BASIC offers 24-bit graphics at any resolution, along with built-in commands for file management, sprites, mouse and keyboard input, and 32-channel sound.

Programs can be compiled to run on Windows or directly on UEFI x86 machines. The project is available on a 'pay what you want' basis on Itch.io, with examples provided.

While other BASIC revival attempts exist, the language is unlikely to regain its former dominance, though the option to boot to BASIC remains available.

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