BASIC interpreter

Article summary

) A BASIC interpreter is interpreter software that enables users to enter and run programs in the BASIC language and was, for the first part of the microcomputer era, the default application that computers would launch. Users were expected to use the BASIC interpreter to type in programs or to load programs from storage (initially cassette tapes then floppy disks). BASIC interpreters are of historical importance. Microsoft's first product for sale was a BASIC interpreter (Altair BASIC), which paved the way for the company's success. Before Altair BASIC, microcomputers were sold as kits that needed to be programmed in machine code (for instance, the Apple I). During the Altair period, BASIC interpreters were sold separately, becoming the first software sold to individuals rather than to organizations; Apple BASIC was Apple's first software product. After the MITS Altair 8800, microcomputers were expected to ship bundled with BASIC interpreters of their own (e.g., the Apple II, which had multiple implementations of BASIC). A backlash against the price of Microsoft's Altair BASIC also led to early collaborative software development, for Tiny BASIC implementations in general and Palo Alto Tiny BASIC specifically. BASIC interpreters fell from use as computers grew in power and their associated programs grew too long for typing them in to be a reasonable distribution format.…

Key claims

1. publication date: 1975 — source: Wikipedia · confidence 0.95
2. publication date: 1985 — source: Wikipedia · confidence 0.95
3. publication date: 1975 — source: Wikipedia · confidence 0.95
4. publication date: 1993 — source: Wikipedia · confidence 0.95
5. publication date: 1983 — source: Wikipedia · confidence 0.95
6. publication date: 1975 — source: Wikipedia · confidence 0.95
7. publication date: 1983 — source: Wikipedia · confidence 0.95
8. release date: 1977 — source: Wikipedia · confidence 0.95
9. release date: 1985 — source: Wikipedia · confidence 0.95
10. release date: 1989 — source: Wikipedia · confidence 0.95

Discussion questions

1. Summarise the article in your own words. Which single claim would you verify first, and why?
2. The record states that the publication date is "1975". What evidence would count against this claim?
3. The record states that the publication date is "1985". What evidence would count against this claim?
4. The record states that the publication date is "1975". What evidence would count against this claim?
5. The record states that the publication date is "1993". What evidence would count against this claim?
6. The record states that the publication date is "1983". What evidence would count against this claim?
7. The record states that the publication date is "1975". What evidence would count against this claim?
8. The record states that the publication date is "1983". What evidence would count against this claim?
9. The record states that the release date is "1977". What evidence would count against this claim?
10. The record states that the release date is "1985". What evidence would count against this claim?
11. The record states that the release date is "1989". What evidence would count against this claim?
12. Which claim in this article is most likely to be revised as the sources update? How would you check its current status?
13. If two sources disagreed about one of these facts, what would you need in order to trust one over the other?

Bibliography

1. Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=1365977333