# CBASIC

> compiled version of the BASIC programming language

**Wikidata**: [Q1022951](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1022951)  
**Wikipedia**: [English](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CBASIC)  
**Source**: https://4ort.xyz/entity/cbasic

## Summary
CBASIC is a compiled version of the BASIC programming language developed for the CP/M operating system. Created by American computer pioneer Gordon Eubanks in 1976, it is distinguished by its use of an intermediate code format. The language itself was written using PL/M, a high-level language for Intel microprocessors.

## Key Facts
- **Developer**: Gordon Eubanks (American computer pioneer and programmer).
- **Release Date**: 1976.
- **Classification**: Compiled programming language; an instance of a "programming language."
- **Operating System**: Designed for CP/M.
- **Implementation Language**: Written in PL/M (a high-level language for Intel microprocessors created in 1973).
- **Influenced By**: BASIC (Wikidata Q42979).
- **File Format**: Uses "CBASIC Intermediate code" for both readable and writable file formats.
- **Library of Congress ID**: sh85021565.

## FAQs
### Q: What is CBASIC?
A: CBASIC is a compiled version of the BASIC programming language. It was published in 1976 for the CP/M operating system.

### Q: Who created CBASIC?
A: CBASIC was developed by Gordon Eubanks, an American computer pioneer and programmer born in 1946.

### Q: What language was CBASIC written in?
A: CBASIC was written in PL/M, a high-level programming language designed for Intel microprocessors.

## Why It Matters
CBASIC serves as a significant historical marker in the era of early microcomputing, specifically within the CP/M ecosystem. As a compiled version of BASIC, it offered developers a way to create software for Intel-based microprocessors using a high-level language (PL/M) infrastructure. Its development by Gordon Eubanks, a recognized computer pioneer, highlights the transition from hobbyist computing to more structured software development tools in the mid-1970s. The use of an "intermediate code" format distinguished it from purely interpreted BASIC implementations of the time, affecting how programs were stored and executed on early personal computers.

## Notable For
- Being a **compiled** iteration of the BASIC programming language rather than an interpreter.
- Its development by **Gordon Eubanks**, a noted figure in computer history.
- Compatibility with the **CP/M** operating system, a dominant OS prior to DOS.
- Being implemented in **PL/M**, a language specific to Intel microprocessor architecture.
- Utilizing a specific **Intermediate code** format for file storage and execution.

## Body
### Development and Creator
CBASIC was published in 1976. It was created by **Gordon Eubanks**, an American computer pioneer born on November 7, 1946. Eubanks is credited as the developer and programmer behind this language implementation.

### Technical Architecture
CBASIC is classified as a programming language influenced by standard BASIC (identified in knowledge bases as Q42979). Unlike some contemporaries written in assembly, CBASIC was written in **PL/M**. PL/M is a high-level programming language created in 1973 specifically for Intel microprocessors. This choice of implementation language suggests a focus on portability and structure for Intel-based hardware.

### Platform and Operation
The language was designed to operate on the **CP/M** operating system. Technically, CBASIC compiles source code into a format described as **CBASIC Intermediate code**. This intermediate format is listed as both the readable and writable file format for the language, indicating a two-stage execution process where code is compiled to an intermediate state before execution.

## References

1. [Source](https://github.com/JohnMarkOckerbloom/ftl/blob/master/data/wikimap)
2. National Library of Israel Names and Subjects Authority File