BASIC compilers and interpreters

This is a list of available BASIC compilers and interpreters. It is devided into the following sections:

General

Liberty BASIC
Windows & OS/2 programming in BASIC. Easy to learn and use. Quickly produce real GUI programs (not text mode applications) using FreeForm, the included visual programming tool. Integrated editor and debugger. Sample programs included.
Price: The registration fee is U.S.$ 40, which includes a 130 page manual.
For more information or to download Liberty BASIC, see the Liberty BASIC home page.
Contact: Carl E. Gundel.
Bywater BASIC 1.1 by Ted A. Campbell
The Bywater BASIC Interpreter implements a large superset of the ANSI Standard for Minimal BASIC (X3.60-1978) implemented in ANSI C, and offers a simple interactive environment including some shell program facilities as an extension of BASIC. The interpreter has been compiled successfully on a range of ANSI C compilers on varying platforms with no alterations to source code necessary.
Click here to download bwb110s.zip.
For UNIX users, there is another version (2.20). Click here to download bwbasic-2.20.uu, an uuencoded compressed tar file of the Bywater Basic 2.20 source files.

True BASIC
A commercial Basic for Mac, DOS, Windows, many Unix workstations written by John G.Kemeny & Thomas E. Kurtz.
Contact: support@truebasic.com; address: True Basic, Inc., 12 Commerce Ave., West Lebanon, NH 03784; telephone: 603-298-8517
GFA BASIC
A German BASIC interpreter/compiler for Atari ST, Amiga, MS-DOS, MS-Windows and [in the near future] OS/2 and Windows 95. It has a syntax-correcting editor and a multitude of commands. A lot of C and assembler syntax can be incorporated, e.g. A++ or INC A.
Contact: CompuServe: 75300,3224
Germany: fax: Germany 2161-43825; telephone: Germany 2161-43866
U.K.: fax: U.K. 420-22807; telephone: U.K. 420-22707
XBASIC
Cross-platform true BASIC compiler for Windows NT, Win95, Win32s, LINUX, and SCO. Generates *very fast* code. Full Xwindows interface, with GUI builder (generates source) and integrated development/debugger. Other UNIX ports in the works.
Contact: BASMARK corporation.
Prices range from U.S.$ 149 for the single-user no-compiler standard edition to U.S.$ 999 + U.S.$ 25 per workstation for the full-blown Pro LAN edition with compiler.
Business BASIC
Click here to go to the Business BASIC pages.
MidWare Technologies, Inc. specializes in BASIC Language migration tools. They carry three kinds of BASIC: KCML for Wang BASIC-2 migrations, OpenBASIC for MAI BB90 migrations, and ProvideX to `Windowize' BBx, Throroughbred and other Business BASICs.

PowerBASIC 3.2
Includes built-in capabilities for TSR programming, a built-in assembler, ability to generate 8086, 80286, or 80386 specific code, pointers. The *only* BASIC compiler to offer optional parameters in BASIC SUBs and FUNCTIONs, C/Pascal style variable types including "bytes", "unsigned integers/longs/quads", structures (TYPES) and unions, and built-in statements for array sorting and searching. Price: U.S.$ 149. Contact info@powerbasic.com. For more information, see PowerBASIC on the Net.

ASIC 5.00 by 80/20 Software
Click here to download asic.arc.
BasicBasic 1.72 by Marc Davidsaver
Shareware compiler for DOS/Windows Click here to download wbasic14.zip.
UBASIC 8.74 by Yuji Kida
An implementation of BASIC with high precision real and complex arithmetic (up to 2600 digits), exact rational arithmetics, arithmetic of rational, modulo p or complex polynomials, and strings and linked lists. It supports algebraic, transcendental and arithmetic functions, some C-like and Pascal-like functions. The latest version supports VGA graphics.
Click here to go to the UBASIC files.

BASIC 1.1 is a basic-interpreter running under UNIX by Marc-Oliver Ihm. It implements the most simple features of the language (no while-, no repeat-loops) and includes some X-graphics. The program comes with all sources, including the input files for FLEX and BISON and is subject to the GNU copyleft.
To learn more about BASIC, see the BASIC 1.1 documentation.
DDS is a very small BASIC interpreter/compiler entered in the International Obfuscated C Code Contest. See this for an explanation of the interpreter.

BASIC Plus
Interpreter, given away as part of the RSTS/E PDP-11 operating system.
BASIC Plus 2
Compiler, on RSTS/E and RSX PDP-11 operating systems. Also was on DEC's 36 Bit operating systems (TOPS 10 and/or 20).
VAX BASIC
Compiler, on OpenVMS Operating system on VAX computers.
DEC BASIC
Compiler, on OpenVMS Operating system on AXP computers. Not 64 bit yet but runs on 64 bit computer.

FutureBASIC - Staz Software
FutureBASIC is a BASIC interactive compiler for Macintosh system 6.05 or greater with over 1mb of ram and 2mb of disk space. FB works on all macs from MAC+ to 9500/132 PPC. It is available from STAZ Software, Inc. in Diamondhead, MS.
Click here to go to the FutureBasic Brochure.
Mainstay VIP Basic
"Semicompiler" (i.e. p-code interpreter) PPC included. About U.S.$ 199
Pros: Very close to QB syntax. Nice debugger. Good online assistance with code writing. System automatically organizes your code for you. Graphical code representation. Support for entire toolbox. Useful run-time library. Automatic event dispatcher.
Cons: Not a native code compiler. No use of FPU, according to Mainstay tech support. Huge executables (>400k) when generating standalones due to included run-time library.
Contact: 805-848-9400

Chipmunk Basic
Interpreter for 68k Macs & PPC and accelerated for PowerMacs. More information can be found on the Chipmunk Basic Home Page.
Click here to download chipmunk-basic-3.5.0-sit.hqx.
Contact: Ronald H. Nicholson, Jr.

AMOS
AMOS is an advanced BASIC for the Amiga computer. For more information, click here to go to the AMOS Web Site.

If you know of any programs to add to this list, please mail the info to W.M.BergmannTiest@fys.ruu.nl

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