Thoreau BASIC - Modern 64-bit BASIC with UEFI boot and JIT
Show HN: Thoreau BASIC – What if BASIC hadn't gone out of fashion?
Thoreau BASIC revives the classic GW-BASIC syntax with 64-bit memory, 24-bit graphics, sprites, and mouse input. It includes TCP/IP, HTTP, a complete GM/GS wavetable with MIDI/WAV/FLAC/Opus playback, complex/quaternion/octonion values, a debugger, profiler, and multicore PARFOR. The same BASIC language runs as a Windows program or directly from UEFI firmware without an OS. Programs can be packaged as standalone EXE or bootable EFI applications. Graphics, networking, and sound are ordinary BASIC commands, not separate frameworks. Download for Windows or UEFI and start coding.
BASIC programs can also be packaged as standalone Windows EXE or bootable EFI applications.
- pcdoodle1
Very cool. Are line numbers required? Are there plans for OS system control like setting system volume or screen brightness?
- dang
Recent and related:
Show HN: I wrote a BASIC interpreter that boots on UEFI machines - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49410814 - Aug 2026 (44 comments)
- fuzzfactor
This looks like it's realy getting better all the time.