Editing GW-BASIC (section)

{{Short description|Dialect of the BASIC programming language}}
{{Infobox programming language
|name = GW-BASIC
|logo = [[File:GW-BASIC 3.23.png|300px]]
|paradigm =
|year = {{Start date and age|1983}}
|designer =
|developer = [[Microsoft]]
|latest release version = 3.23
|latest release date = {{Start date and age|1988}}
|typing =
|implementations =
|dialects =
|influenced by = [[IBM Cassette BASIC]], [[IBM Disk BASIC]], [[IBM BASICA]]
|influenced = [[QBasic]], [[QuickBasic]], [[MSX BASIC]]
|operating system = [[DOS]]
|license = [[Proprietary software|Proprietary]]<br />[[MIT License]] (v1.0)<ref name="opensource"/>
|website =
}}

'''GW-BASIC''' is a dialect of the [[BASIC]] [[programming language]] developed by [[Microsoft]] from [[IBM BASICA]]. Functionally identical to BASICA, its [[BASIC interpreter]] is a fully self-contained executable and does not need the [[Cassette BASIC]] ROM found in the original. It was bundled with [[MS-DOS]] [[operating system]]s on [[IBM&nbsp;PC–compatible]]s by Microsoft.

The language is suitable for simple games, business programs and the like. Since it was included with most versions of MS-DOS, it was also a low-cost way for many aspiring [[programmer]]s to learn the fundamentals of [[computer programming]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.geocities.com/KindlyRat/GWBASIC.html|title=GW-BASIC|access-date=2009-11-10|author=KindlyRat|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050726081451/http://www.geocities.com/KindlyRat/GWBASIC.html
|archive-date=2005-07-26}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://peyre.sqweebs.com/GWBASIC/index.htm|title=GWBASIC Games & Other Programs|access-date=2009-11-10|author=Leon|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091026133328/http://peyre.sqweebs.com/GWBASIC/index.htm |archive-date=2009-10-26}}</ref> Microsoft also sold a BASIC [[compiler]], BASCOM, compatible with GW-BASIC, for programs needing more speed.

According to Mark Jones Lorenzo, given the scope of the language, "GW-BASIC is arguably the ''[[List_of_Latin_phrases_(N)#ne_plus_ultra|ne plus ultra]]'' of Microsoft's family of line-numbered BASICs stretching back to [[Altair BASIC]]&nbsp;— and perhaps even of line-numbered BASIC in general."<ref name="endlessloop">{{cite book |last1=Lorenzo |first1=Mark |title=Endless Loop: The History of the BASIC Programming Language |date=2017 |publisher=SE Books |location=Philadelphia |isbn=978-1974-27707-0 |page=122}}</ref>

With the release of MS-DOS 5.0, GW-BASIC's place was taken by [[QBasic]], a slightly abridged version of the interpreter part of the separately available [[QuickBASIC]] interpreter and compiler package.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.emsps.com/oldtools/msbasv.htm#qbasic|title=Microsoft BASIC version information|access-date=2008-06-12}}</ref>

On May 21, 2020, Microsoft released the [[x86 assembly language|8088 assembler]] source code for GW-BASIC&nbsp;1.0 on [[GitHub]] under the [[MIT License]].<ref name="opensource">{{cite news|url=https://devblogs.microsoft.com/commandline/microsoft-open-sources-gw-basic/|title=Microsoft Open-Sources GW-BASIC|publisher=Microsoft|work=Windows Command Line|first=Rich|last=Turner|access-date=May 22, 2020}}</ref>