evv/gw-basic-2026

Files

Eremey Valetov 3f3104c385 Implement MBF binary file compatibility, fix binary loader null-byte truncation, update to v0.14.0

Binary tokenized SAVE/LOAD now stores float constants in Microsoft Binary
Format (MBF) on disk, matching original GWBASIC.EXE.  A token-walking function
(convert_floats) converts IEEE↔MBF at the save_binary()/load_binary() boundary.

Also fixes a latent bug where load_binary() scanned for 0x00 to find the end
of each token line — this fails when float bytes contain null (e.g. MBF for
100.5 is 00 00 49 87).  The loader now uses the next-line pointer to compute
token data length, matching the original's approach.

2026-03-21 01:38:53 -04:00

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Getting Started

Dependencies

C11 compiler (GCC or Clang)
CMake 3.10+
PulseAudio development library (libpulse-simple) — optional, for SOUND/BEEP/PLAY

On Debian/Ubuntu:

sudo apt-get install build-essential cmake libpulse-dev

On Fedora/RHEL:

sudo dnf install gcc cmake pulseaudio-libs-devel

Building

git clone https://github.com/evvaletov/gw-basic-2026.git
cd gw-basic-2026
mkdir -p build && cd build
cmake .. && make

The binary is build/gwbasic.

Usage

Interactive Mode

Running ./gwbasic with no arguments launches the full-screen editor:

$ ./gwbasic
GW-BASIC 2026 0.14.0
(C) Eremey Valetov 2026. MIT License.
Based on Microsoft GW-BASIC assembly source.
Ok
PRINT 2+2
 4
Ok
FOR I=1 TO 5:PRINT I;:NEXT
 1  2  3  4  5
Ok

Use arrow keys to move the cursor freely. Press Enter on any screen line to re-enter it. F1-F10 insert common commands (F2 runs the program).

Running a Program File

./gwbasic tests/programs/prime_sieve.bas

Piped Input

echo '10 FOR I=1 TO 10:PRINT I*I;:NEXT' | ./gwbasic

Direct Mode Expressions

Type expressions and statements at the Ok prompt:

PRINT SIN(3.14159/2)
 1
A$="HELLO WORLD":MID$(A$,7,5)="BASIC":PRINT A$
HELLO BASIC

Command-Line Options

Usage: gwbasic [options] [file.bas]
Options:
  -f, --full         Use full terminal size (default: 25x80)
  -h, --help         Show this help
  --lpt DEVICE|FILE  Printer output destination (default: LPT1.TXT)
                     Use LPT1 or /dev/lp0 for real hardware
  -v, --version      Show version

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