Microsoft’s first-ever programming language was just open-sourced

Did you know that, between 1976 and 1978, Microsoft developed its own version of the BASIC programming language? It was initially called Altair BASIC before becoming Microsoft BASIC, and it was ...

MS-BASIC 1.1 introduced programming to a generation - now you can download it for free

That was almost 50 years ago; since then, Microsoft has embraced open-source software. In recent years, Microsoft has started releasing some of its classic operating systems and programs as open ...

Microsoft Goes Back to BASIC, Open-Sources Bill Gates’ Code

Microsoft called the code—written by the company’s founder, Bill Gates, and its second-ever employee, Ric Weiland—”one of the ...

Microsoft open sources 6502 BASIC, a key piece of computing history

A few months after releasing the Altair BASIC source code, Microsoft has shared another cornerstone of its early software success. The company announced that 6502 BASIC ...

Microsoft open-sources its 6502 version of BASIC from 1976

Microsoft’s 6502 BASIC ran on the same CPU that powered the Apple II, Commodore 8-bit series, NES, and Atari 2600.