hackertube.io

Birth of BASIC

Dartmouth · documentary · Watch on YouTube

History of computingProgramming language designDocumentaries & storytelling

What it is

A Dartmouth-produced documentary on how professors John Kemeny and Tom Kurtz, with a group of undergraduates, invented the BASIC language. It covers the creation of BASIC and the early time-sharing environment at Dartmouth.

Why Hacker News recommends it

HN recommends it as the definitive documentary on BASIC's origins, and it resurfaces whenever BASIC or Kurtz comes up.

  • 3 people recommended it
  • 3 different months
  • 1 strong recommendations
  • first 2021, last 2024

What HN commenters said

  1. “The Birth of BASIC documentary that Dartmouth did for the 50th anniversary is excellent and features him prominently”

    50th anniversary documentary featuring Kurtz prominently

    nettework, 2024-11 · Strong recommendation · in “Thomas E. Kurtz has died”

  2. “Related doc on youtube: "Birth of BASIC”

    Related documentary on BASIC's origins

    ArtWomb, 2021-02 · Recommendation · in “BBC Micro at 40: How it inspired a generation of coders [video]”

  3. “There's a really good documentary on the creation of BASIC at Dartmouth (made by Dartmouth)”

    Documentary on the creation of BASIC at Dartmouth

    WoodenChair, 2024-05 · Recommendation · in “BASIC turns 60”

Excerpts from Hacker News comments, linked to the originals. Summaries and labels were written by a language model from those comments.

Topics: basic, dartmouth, kemeny, kurtz, programming languages

Also recommended by the same people