The Howdy Glossary

Microsoft BASIC-80 (MBASIC) is a version of the BASIC programming language released in 1980 for early microcomputers like Altair and IBM PCs, with its later variant known as GW-BASIC on DOS-based computers. Aimed at making programming accessible to hobbyist programmers, MBASIC was popular for its user-friendly nature but received criticism from professionals for lacking advanced features. Microsoft played a crucial role in developing and distributing various versions of BASIC, including MBASIC and GW-BASIC, marking its foundational contributions to personal computing and software development.

MBASIC's simple and easy-to-learn syntax aimed to make programming more accessible while allowing users to write programs to control microcomputers, perform calculations, and automate tasks. The language featured interactive debugging capabilities that made troubleshooting efficient and offered straightforward methods for controlling hardware and peripherals. Despite these benefits, MBASIC faced criticism from professional developers who preferred languages with more sophisticated features such as FORTRAN, COBOL, Pascal, C, and C++, which were better suited for system programming and professional software development.

The competitive landscape evolved with the emergence of Java and Python offering greater versatility and cross-platform compatibility compared to MBASIC's basic functionalities. While languages like FORTRAN focused on scientific computing, COBOL on business applications, Pascal on structured programming; C/C++ provided advanced tools emphasizing performance efficiency. These languages gained traction among professional developers due to their robust capabilities while MBASIC remained popular among hobbyists for its ease of use despite the evolving preferences in the wider computing community.