Masterminds of Programming

Chapter 5. BASIC

In 1963, Thomas Kurtz and John Kemeny invented BASIC, a general-purpose language intended to teach beginners to program as well as to allow experienced users to write useful programs. Their original goals included abstracting away details of the hardware. The language spread widely after the introduction of microcomputers in the 70s; many personal computers included custom variants. Though the language has moved beyond line numbers and GOTO statements through Microsoft’s Visual Basic and Kurtz’s BASIC, multiple generations of programmers learned the joy of programming from a language that encouraged experimentation and rewarded curiosity.

The Goals Behind BASIC

What is the best way to learn to program?

Tom Kurtz: Beginning programmers should not have to wade through manuals. Most manuals are far too wordy to retain the attention of new students. Simple coding assignments and easy access to easy-to-use implementations are required, and many examples.

Some educators prefer to teach a language in which programmers need to develop a lot of experience before applying it. You have chosen instead to create a language that any level of programmer can use quickly, where they can improve their knowledge by experience.

Tom: Yes. Once you have learned to program, new computer languages are easy to learn. The first is the hardest. Unless a language is particularly obtuse, the new language will be but a short step from the languages already known. An analogy with spoken languages ...