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Microsoft open-sources Bill Gates’ 6502 BASIC from 1978

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Ars Technica

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AI Generated

Microsoft has open-sourced the 1978 Microsoft BASIC for 6502 Version 1.1, which powered early personal computers like the Commodore PET, VIC-20, Commodore 64, and Apple II. The company shared 6,955 lines of assembly language code on GitHub under an MIT license, allowing for free use, modification, and distribution. Bill Gates and Rick Weiland were the original authors of this BASIC interpreter, which introduced many to programming in the late 1970s and early 1980s. This release provides insight into the early days of personal computing and programming for a generation of users.

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