What Is the File Extension Bas?

Though an extension can show an executable that runs when double-clicked or a stand-alone file that can be opened by another program, it can also show code for an application that needs compiling, as in .bas.

Description

The .bas file extension indicates source code for the programming language called BASIC (Beginner's All-purpose Symbolic Instruction Code).

History

Though it currently exists in many versions, the original language was developed at Dartmouth College for mainframes. In the 1970s, Bill Gates developed a version for personal computers.

Compiling

To function, the .bas source code needs to be processed into an executable by such programs as Microsoft Visual Basic and TrueBASIC for Windows and REALBasic for the Macintosh.

Features

The English-like commands made the language easy to learn and edit. For example, rather than using a complex series of mnemonics and variables to print text, you used comprehensible code like the following:

PRINT "This is an example of printed text."

Use

Though commercial versions of the programming language exist, you can download a free version from JustBasic.com, whose editor even colors the syntax of the .bas file.

References

• Description
• History
• JustBasic