Basic – The Most Consequential Programming Language in the History of Computing

BASIC, a programming language created in 1964 by John Kemeny and Thomas Kurtz, revolutionized coding by making it accessible to a broader audience, particularly students and hobbyists. Before BASIC, programming was largely confined to elites using complex machine languages. BASIC's straightforward commands, such as IF, THEN, and INPUT, allowed users to engage with computers in a more intuitive way. This accessibility led to a surge in interest among young people in the 1970s and 1980s, who began creating games and applications, ultimately contributing to the development of the internet.

BASIC was notable for being an interpreted language, allowing immediate feedback as users could run their code instantly without the need for compilation. This fostered a culture of experimentation and sharing, as users freely exchanged code, leading to the first mass open-source culture. However, BASIC had limitations, particularly in graphics performance and the infamous GOTO command, which could lead to convoluted code structures.

Despite its decline in popularity with the rise of more modern programming languages, BASIC's influence remains significant. It laid the groundwork for many contemporary languages and programming practices. Today, while only a small percentage of professional developers use BASIC, its legacy endures, and many programmers still recall their early experiences with it as a magical introduction to the world of coding.