Overview
[AI Summary]: Microsoft has officially open-sourced its historic 6502 BASIC interpreter, the company’s first product from 1975, under a modern open-source license. This version 1.1 release contains the actual source code that powered Commodore PET, VIC-20, Commodore 64, and Apple II computers, complete with 1978 bug fixes and a Bill Gates Easter egg. The release coincides with renewed interest in retro-computing and follows Microsoft’s earlier release of GW-BASIC, continuing the preservation of computing history.
- Repository: GitHub - microsoft/BASIC-M6502: Microsoft BASIC for 6502 Microprocessor - Version 1.1
- Developer: Microsoft (originally by Bill Gates, Paul Allen, and Ric Weiland)
- Year Released: 2025 (original code from 1976-1978)
- License: Open Source (modern license)