Show HN: WebBase-III – dBASE III rebuilt in the browser with its own interpreter

dBASE III is back. In your browser. USE customers like it's 1984.

Remember the dot prompt? Before SQL won, before ORMs, before anyone said "full-stack" — there was dBASE III. You typed USE customers , then LIST , and your data was just there. WebBase-III brings that whole world back: the terminal, the language, BROWSE , @ SAY GET forms, .prg programs, indexes, reports — rebuilt from scratch as a modern web app with its own interpreter in TypeScript, backed by Node.js, WebSockets, and SQLite.

Try it in one click — no install:

The Codespace installs dependencies and starts the dev server automatically. Open the forwarded port 5173 and you're at the dot prompt.

Screenshots

Terminal REPL

The command interface — type W3Script and see results instantly.

LIST — tabular record display

LIST prints all records in active index order. The status bar shows the active database and table.

Indexing & SEEK

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