# BASIC is now Open Source

**URL:** <https://discuss.opensource.org/t/basic-is-now-open-source/1289>\
**Category:** General\
**Created:** [September 5, 2025, 12:23pm UTC](https://discuss.opensource.org/t/basic-is-now-open-source/1289 "2025-09-05T12:23:52Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 1\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![nick](https://yyz1.discourse-cdn.com/flex011/user_avatar/discuss.opensource.org/nick/32/542_2.png) [@nick](https://discuss.opensource.org/u/nick)\
**Post date:** [September 5, 2025, 12:23pm UTC](https://discuss.opensource.org/t/basic-is-now-open-source/1289/1 "2025-09-05T12:23:52Z")

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After 50 years, BASIC has now been released under the MIT license:

> **[Microsoft Releases Historic 6502 BASIC - Microsoft Open Source Blog](https://opensource.microsoft.com/blog/2025/09/03/microsoft-open-source-historic-6502-basic/)**
>
> Explore the original 6502 BASIC—now open source! Dive into retro code, history, and emulators. Fork it, run it, and relive computing's roots.

Microsoft BASIC began in 1975 as the company’s very first product: a BASIC interpreter for the Intel 8080, written by Bill Gates and Paul Allen for the Altair 8800.

I also highly recommend checking Bill Gates’ blog post “[Celebrate 50 years of Microsoft with the company’s original source code](https://www.gatesnotes.com/microsoft-original-source-code).”