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This post is great. The argument that followed was an unfortunate case of miscommunication on both side, oops!

JavaScript has many similarities to BASIC!

At one point, yes, points 1-5 were definitely true. Thank you for reminding me! Don't forget about BASIC!

Here's just a few of really big differences:

1.) BASIC didn't have a DOM. 2.) BASIC didn't have network abilities. 3.) BASIC didn't have advanced language features. 4.) BASIC wasn't didn't load and execute from a simple network request.

BASIC was SUPER important to the command line PC-era, just as JavaScript is really important to the cloud-era.

Microsoft and BASIC... Google and JavaScript...

Because JavaScript is attached to the DOM, and the DOM, aka, web pages, are SO crazy successful at delivering, presenting, archiving and navigating media, it really adds a level of longevity to the language that BASIC could only have dreamed of.




> 2.) BASIC didn't have network abilities.

Are you sure about that? My C64 w/300 baud modem was able to hit BBS's...


The c64 did, but could you download a basic program from the bbs and run it in place without stopping the modem software? Could that BASIC program then proceed to, in place download more content to view, from same, or any other BBS? We're talking about BASIC here :)

Now, if you wanted to move forward a few years then the Amiga could do those things using some proprietary graphical modem software and a bespoke graphics/interaction language whose name totally escapes me at the moment. It wasn't BASIC.

But, you know, you needed an Amiga to use it, and almost nobody had one.

..( a google search later and )..

oh hey, here it is

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skypix


> But, you know, you needed an Amiga to use it, and almost nobody had one.

At least in Europe, I can assure most people that could buy computers mostly had an Amiga or Atari ST at home during the 16bit days.


Did you ever use skypix?


No, in my circle of friends no one had modems.

Our main interests were games and demoscene related (assembly programming and pro-tracker).


You're really jumping the shark with your arguments.

I'm only pointing out that the c64 had networking capabilities -- because he said it didn't.

You're being exceedingly defensive and argumentative in this thread.


He said BASIC didn't have networking capabilities. And well, that's true. c64 is a computer. BASIC is a language. they are two vastly different things.

and no, YOU'RE being extra argumentative in this thread.




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