# microsoft/GW-BASIC

The original source code of Microsoft GW-BASIC from 1983

Repository: https://github.com/microsoft/GW-BASIC
Canonical: https://ross.abutalabs.com/products/gw-basic
Language: C++
License: MIT
License Family: permissive
Archived: true
Last push: 2020-05-22T00:19:53+00:00

## Health v2 (maintenance only)
Score: 10/100 (v2, computed 2026-09-03T02:20:16.233290+00:00)
- activity 0, release rhythm 35, longevity 100
- inputs: {"age_days": 2399, "days_push": 2295, "days_rel": null, "gap_med": null, "n_releases_24m": 0}
- flags: no_releases, archived
- formula: round(0.45*activity + 0.35*rhythm + 0.20*longevity); archived -> min(score, 10)

## Adoption (not part of the score)
Stars 3513, forks 542 (observed 2026-08-28T04:08:07.769416+00:00)

## What it is
The original 1983 source code of Microsoft's GW-BASIC interpreter, released under the MIT license for historical reference. It is a frozen, read-only archive with no build scripts or binaries.

## Use cases
- study how a 1980s BASIC interpreter was written
- learn about early Microsoft source code history
- explore assembly-era interpreter implementation techniques
- research retro computing and BASIC dialects
- read historical C and assembly code from 1983

## When to choose
- you want to read or study the original GW-BASIC source for historical or educational purposes

## When to avoid
- you need a working GW-BASIC interpreter or binary
- you want to build, modify, or contribute to the code
- you need a modern BASIC implementation for production use

## Facets
- artifact type: learning-resource
- maturity: abandoned
- function: interpreter, programming-language
- domain: programming-languages, education
- platform: cpp, cross-platform
- tags: historical-source-code, basic, retro-computing, microsoft, 1983, history

## Member repositories
- microsoft/GW-BASIC (main) score 10

## Provenance
- Observed fields: from GitHub, fetched 2026-08-28T04:08:07.769416+00:00.
- Health v2: computed from the inputs above; adoption is never an input.
- Inferred fields (summary, facets, guidance): AI-extracted, prompt v1, taxonomy v1, on 2026-08-29T18:35:39.054416+00:00, confidence not recorded.
  - readme: https://github.com/microsoft/GW-BASIC (fetched 2026-08-28T04:08:07.769416+00:00, sha 829edbc9ca32)
- Data as of 2026-08-30T08:39:29.467469+00:00.