11 Facts About BASICODE

BASICODE was a computer project intended to create a unified standard for the BASIC programming language.

BASICODE was often called "Esperanto for computers" for that reason.

Programs written in BASICODE were only usable after the Bascoder had been loaded and started.

The last revision of BASICODE, which featured color graphics, was released as BASICODE 3C in 1991.

From about 1990 onward the popularity of BASICODE declined rapidly due to the rise of 16- and 32-bit computers, such as the Atari ST, CBM Amiga, Acorn Archimedes and the plethora of IBM-PC compatible weclones.

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BASICODE is still used by enthusiasts, in particular 8-bit computer fans, for nostalgic value, but is not of any practical relevance.

BASICODE was an early attempt at creating a standard for the exchange of programs and data across mutually incompatible home computer systems.

Unlike MSX, BASICODE made no effort to standardise the hardware it ran on, rather it offered a standardised subset of the ubiquitous BASIC programming language and a common data format for Compact Cassettes which could be read and written on all computers for which BASICODE was available.

The language standard defined by BASICODE was the lowest common denominator of all relevant computer systems.

Especially for applications that relied on timing and graphics or sound, for example video games, BASICODE was clearly inferior to programs written in "native" BASIC or machine code.

The strengths of BASICODE were in the areas of application design, education software and data sharing.