Show HN: I wrote a BASIC interpreter that boots on UEFI machines

2026-08-23 | original

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Why This Matters

Thoreau BASIC introduces a modern, bare-metal GW-BASIC compatible interpreter that runs directly on UEFI machines, bridging vintage programming with contemporary hardware capabilities. This development enables enthusiasts and developers to run classic BASIC programs with advanced graphics and control features on modern systems, fostering preservation and experimentation in retro computing. Its compatibility with modern graphics and memory management highlights the evolving intersection of legacy software and current hardware standards.

Key Takeaways

Runs natively on UEFI machines, enabling modern hardware compatibility.
Supports advanced graphics, color, and memory features for classic BASIC programs.
Facilitates preservation and experimentation with vintage programming on current systems.

Thoreau BASIC

A GW-BASIC–compatible interpreter that runs on bare metal (a Windows version is available, too).

The data segment is sized to the largest block of conventional memory the firmware (or Windows) reports, which on a modern machine is gigabytes.

Language

(mostly) GW-BASIC compatible. Programs load and save as ASCII.

Numeric types, including 32 and 64-bit integers ( % , & , && ), single and double precision, strings.

, , ), single and double precision, strings. 32 bit wide line numbers.

DEF FN , GOSUB , ON…GOTO/GOSUB , DATA / READ / RESTORE , and the rest of the control flow.

, , , / / , and the rest of the control flow. Error trapping: ON ERROR GOTO , RESUME / RESUME NEXT / RESUME n , ERL , ERR , ON BREAK GOTO

Graphics

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Explore topics: gw-basic uefi thoreau basic interpreter windows