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| Original author(s) | Donn Denman, Marianne Hsiung, Larry Kenyon, Bryan Stearns |
|---|---|
| Developer(s) | Apple Computer |
| Initial release | 1985; 40 years ago (1985) |
| Platform | Classic Mac OS |
| Type | Programming tools |
| License | Proprietary |
MacBASIC was aprogramming language and interactive environment designed byApple Computer for theoriginal Macintosh computer. It was developed by original Macintosh team member Donn Denman,[1][2] with help from fellow Apple programmers Marianne Hsiung, Larry Kenyon, and Bryan Stearns,[3] as part of the original Macintosh development effort starting in late 1981.[4][5]Andy Hertzfeld said, "A BASIC interpreter would be important, to allow users to write their own programs. We decided we should write it ourselves, instead of relying on a third party, because it was important for the BASIC programs to be able to take advantage of the MacintoshUI, and we didn't trust a third party to 'get it' enough to do it right."[6]
MacBASIC was released asbeta software in 1985, and was adopted for use in places such as theDartmouth College computer science department, for use in an introductory programming course.[citation needed] In August 1985, Apple abruptly ended the project, annoying book publishers that had published three books on the language with cooperation from the company.[7] Apple discontinued MacBASIC as part of a deal withMicrosoft to extend the license forApplesoft BASIC on theApple II.[8][9] Although Apple retracted MacBASIC, unlicensed copies of the software and manual still circulated, but because MacBASIC was no longer supported by Apple and was not designed to be32-bit clean, interest eventually died out.[citation needed]
Benchmarks published in Washington Apple Pi Journal suggested that MacBASIC had better performance as compared to Microsoft'sMS BASIC for Macintosh.[10] The language included modern looping control structures, user-defined functions, graphics, and access to theMacintosh Toolbox. The development environment supported multiple programs running simultaneously withsymbolic debugging including breakpoints and single-step execution.[2]