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Microsoft open-sources Bill Gates’ 6502 BASIC from 1978

Historic interpreter taught millions to program on Commodore and Apple computers.

This kind of officially sanctioned release is important because without proper documentation and legal permission to study historical software, future generations risk losing the ability to understand how early computers worked in detail. Microsoft has gradually open-sourced other historical software in recent years, including GW-BASIC(which descended from the 6502 version and shipped in the IBM PC's ROM), MS-DOS 4.0, and the original Altair BASIC from 1975. In fact, the Github repository Microsoft created for 6502 BASIC includes a clever historical touch as a nod to the ancient code—the Git timestamps show commits from July 27, 1978.

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