The Howdy Glossary

Data General Business Basic (DGBASIC) is a programming language specifically developed by Data General in the 1970s for their Nova series of minicomputers. It offered a simplified version of the BASIC programming language, tailored for business applications that required robust data processing capabilities. DGBASIC was designed to handle file operations and string manipulations efficiently, making it ideal for developing software that involved significant data storage and retrieval tasks.

The unique features of DGBASIC included built-in support for file handling and string manipulation, distinguishing it from standard versions of BASIC. These specialized functions enabled users to work with text data effectively and develop business applications suited to the needs of Data General's computing environment. While other versions of BASIC were more broadly compatible across various systems, DGBASIC provided a user-friendly programming environment optimized for the Nova series' specific requirements.

During its peak in the 1970s, DGBASIC faced competition from other industry-standard BASIC languages like Microsoft BASIC and HP Time-Shared BASIC, which offered wider compatibility across different computer systems. Despite this competition, DGBASIC held significant advantages due to its tailored design for Data General's hardware, optimizing performance and efficiency within that ecosystem. This specialization made it a compelling choice for businesses needing a robust solution for data processing on Data General's minicomputers before newer languages such as COBOL, Fortran, C, and Java gained popularity in business application development.