In a move that sent ripples of nostalgia and genuine excitement through the vintage computing community, Microsoft recently open-sourced the assembly code for Microsoft BASIC for the 6502 Microprocessor – Version 1.1 on GitHub. This isn’t just any old code drop, it’s a peek behind the curtain at the very foundations of personal computing, a relic from an era when bytes were precious and screens glowed green with possibility.
A Journey Back to the Dawn of Personal Computing
For those who didn’t grow up with cassette tapes as storage and 8-bit processors as the cutting edge, Microsoft BASIC was, for many, their first introduction to programming. It was the lingua franca of early microcomputers like the Apple II, Commodore 64, and countless others. Bill Gates himself famously dropped out of Harvard to co-found Microsoft and develop BASIC interpreters for these nascent machines.
“This release is a fantastic reminder of how far we’ve come,” mused Steve Wozniak, co-founder of Apple, when reached for comment. “Back then, every byte mattered. Optimizing code to fit into those tiny memory footprints was an art form. It’s great to see this history preserved.”
The 6502 microprocessor, a marvel of its time, powered many of these iconic machines. Its simplicity and efficiency made it a favorite among early computer designers and hobbyists. The version 1.1 of Microsoft BASIC for this chip represents a pivotal moment in software development, showcasing the ingenuity required to build powerful tools within severe hardware constraints.
A Git Commit Older Than Git Itself
Perhaps the most amusing detail to emerge from this GitHub release is the timestamp on the last commit: a perplexing 48 years ago. For those quick with their calculators, that places the commit somewhere in the mid-1970s – a full three decades before Linus Torvalds even conceived of Git!
“I had to do a double-take when I saw that,” chuckled Scott Hanselman, a well-known figure in the developer community and Principal Program Manager at Microsoft. “It’s either a very, very enthusiastic time traveler on the Microsoft team, or more likely, a charming artifact of migrating ancient source code. Either way, it adds a wonderful layer of mystique to the whole endeavor. It just goes to show, some code is so foundational, it practically predates time itself!”
Indeed, the anachronistic commit date is a testament to the code’s age and the challenges of accurately backdating historical software into modern version control systems. It’s a whimsical reminder that while technology gallops forward, some digital artifacts linger, carrying echoes of a bygone era.
Looking Back and Ahead
By open-sourcing this foundational interpreter, Microsoft not only preserves a crucial piece of computing history but also invites a new generation of developers to learn from, tinker with, and reimagine code that once fit in 8 KB of ROM.
Whether you’re restoring a Commodore 64 emulator, studying early optimization tricks, or just enjoying a blast of retro-computing nostalgia, the gates to 1978 are now wide open.
What will you build from the very code that helped found Microsoft?
Layton Zhang
This post is a great starting point for anyone new to the subject.
Jeromy Mann
Your writing has a way of resonating with me on a deep level. I appreciate the honesty and authenticity you bring to every post. Thank you for sharing your journey with us.