Exactly sixty years ago, on May 1, 1964, at 4 in the morning, in the campus of the Dartmut College located in the state of New Gampshire, the USA, There was a quiet revolution in the field of computer technology. Mathematicians John Kemen and Thomas Kurtz successfully launched the program in the new Basic programming language for the first time, which they developed for the General Electric GE-225 Maynframe. This event laid the foundation for the democratization of computing technology and inspired many generations of programmers.
Basic or “Beginner’s All -Purpose Symbolic Instruction Code” is an interpreted programming language that is executed by line. The simplicity and understandability of the syntax with keywords in English made it the perfect choice for beginners in writing code.
Before the creation of Basic, computers were large, expensive, and difficult to use, and programming required the physical connection of wires and switching levers. The first programming languages, such as Fortran and Cobol, were extremely complicated and intended only for professionals. Kemeni and Kurtz aimed to make computers and programming accessible to everyone, leading to the creation of Basic.
In the 1970s, with the development of personal computers, Basic began its rapid distribution. Paul Allen and Bill Gates adapted the language for Altair 8800, which became one of the foundations for creating Microsoft. Steve Vozniak developed the Basic interpreter for Apple I, which later became a key part of Apple II.
Despite the decline in practical use today, Basic has not disappeared – it continues to evolve. The language remains popular among retro-computing enthusiasts, and its legacy lives on in languages such as Visual Basic and Microsoft Small Basic used for educational purposes to teach the basics of programming.
The creation of the BASIC programming language marked an important milestone in the history of computer technology, opening up programming to the masses. Basic’s simplicity and accessibility allowed many people to learn the fundamentals of programming, leading to the rapid development of the personal computer and software industry.