gw-basic-2026/docs/index.md

gwbasic-c

A portable C reimplementation of Microsoft GW-BASIC, using the original 8088 assembly source (released by Microsoft in 2020) as the authoritative reference.

This is not a transpilation — it reimplements the algorithms in clean C11 with modern data structures while targeting bug-compatible behavior. Unlike the original assembly (43,771 lines across 43 .ASM files), this version is structured as modular C suitable for new feature development.

Highlights

• ~8,600 lines of C11 with 50 test programs
• Sixel graphics — SCREEN 1/SCREEN 2 rendering in compatible terminals
• Sound — SOUND, BEEP, PLAY (MML) via PulseAudio
• Full file I/O — sequential, random-access, SAVE/LOAD/MERGE/CHAIN
• Terminal I/O — raw mode for INKEY$ and INPUT$
• MIT License

:maxdepth: 2

getting-started
language-reference
architecture
development
roadmap