Structured BASIC dialects have function-local variables, BASIC dialects that support linking separately compiled modules support exported and non-exported variables, etc.
I was writing BASIC code for everything until a few years ago -- VB.NET -- until it was really clear that it had become a totally second-class citizen and I switched to C#.
I still think VB.NET is vastly more readable than C/C#/Java etc.
Basic died because it lacks scoping, and has no locals. This makes doing anything on a large scale a pain...
Structured BASIC dialects have function-local variables, BASIC dialects that support linking separately compiled modules support exported and non-exported variables, etc.
With retirement + AI I have stopped giving a shit what programming language something is written in; If you can write it in BASIC, go for it.
Recent and related:
Show HN: I wrote a BASIC interpreter that boots on UEFI machines - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49410814 - Aug 2026 (44 comments)
I still enjoy and use https://blitzmax.org/
I was writing BASIC code for everything until a few years ago -- VB.NET -- until it was really clear that it had become a totally second-class citizen and I switched to C#.
I still think VB.NET is vastly more readable than C/C#/Java etc.
It’s been 2nd class for a long time, but I loved it back in the early 2000s.
Very cool. Are line numbers required? Are there plans for OS system control like setting system volume or screen brightness?
I definitely want a code editor with a setting to number the lines by 10s.
This looks like it's realy getting better all the time.
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