SMRTR ProgrammingSep 4, 2025Ars Technica

Microsoft open-sources Bill Gates’ 6502 BASIC from 1978

SMRTR summary

Microsoft has released the complete 6,502 BASIC source code from 1978, the interpreter that powered iconic computers like the Commodore 64 and Apple II. This 6,955-line assembly language program, co-written by Bill Gates and now available on GitHub under an MIT license, introduced millions to programming through simple commands like "PRINT" and "GOTO" during the personal computing revolution.

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