# Install bas55 with Homebrew Minimal BASIC programming language interpreter as defined by ECMA-55. Version 2.0 via Homebrew; verified 2026-06-13. ## Install ```sh sudo av install brew:bas55 ``` Additional install commands: ### macOS - Homebrew (100%): ```sh brew install bas55 ``` Evidence: local Homebrew formula metadata ## Package facts - **Package key:** brew:bas55 - **Package manager:** Homebrew - **Package manager page:** - **Version:** 2.0 - **Source summary:** Minimal BASIC programming language interpreter as defined by ECMA-55 - **Homepage:** - **Repository:** - **Upstream docs:** - **License:** MIT - **Source archive:** - **Last updated:** 2026-06-13T01:03:14+02:00 - **Generated:** 2026-07-08T07:18:31+00:00 ## Executables - bas55 (cli) - bas55 (alias) ## Install behavior - Post-install hook: not defined - Bottle: available on arm64_big_sur, arm64_linux, arm64_monterey, arm64_sequoia, arm64_sonoma, arm64_tahoe, arm64_ventura, big_sur, monterey, sonoma, ventura, x86_64_linux ## Freshness - Page generated: 2026-07-08 - Package-manager version: 2.0 - Package-manager updated: 2026-06-13 - Local data: ok - Upstream repository: https://jorgicor.niobe.org/bas55/ - info: Release/tag comparison is only available for GitHub repositories. ## Project history and usage bas55 is a small implementation of ECMA-55 Minimal BASIC. It provides a command-line interpreter and editor with line renumbering, aiming to preserve and test the standardized subset of BASIC rather than extend it into a modern dialect. ### Project history The official manual identifies bas55 as an ECMA-55 Minimal BASIC System and documents version 2.0, updated on 6 May 2023. The project homepage hosts the current 2.0 source, Windows package, online manual, NEWS file, older source archives back through 1.01, and a link to the GitHub source repository. The NEWS file shows active development across the mid-2010s through 2023. Much of that history is conformance work: fixing parsing, numerical behavior, editor behavior, and bundled National Bureau of Standards test cases so the interpreter behaves consistently across systems. ### Adoption history bas55 is niche by design, but it is packaged by Homebrew according to the input metadata, and the official homepage provides source and Windows builds directly. Its audience is people who want a portable ECMA-55 environment, not people looking for a general BASIC with graphics or platform-specific extensions. The homepage also points users to John Gatewood Ham's ECMA-55 compiler and learning materials, placing bas55 inside a small ecosystem of Minimal BASIC preservation and education tools. ### How it is used Users start bas55 at the command line and enter numbered BASIC lines in editor mode, then run, list, save, load, and renumber programs. The manual's tutorial begins with the traditional two-line HELLO, WORLD program and documents ECMA-55 restrictions such as upper-case program text and required END statements. There is no documented persistent configuration file or credentials store; usage is interactive or file-based through the interpreter and editor. ### Why package nerds care bas55 matters to package nerds because it is a tiny language runtime whose value is standards fidelity. It packages an old standardized programming environment as a modern CLI, with bundled tests and changelog entries focused on portability and repeatable behavior. It is also a good example of long-tail Homebrew content: not a mainstream runtime, but a preserved computing artifact that becomes easy to install with one command. ### Timeline - 2015: NEWS entries show active conformance and portability work on the interpreter. - 2018: Project website moved to jorgicor.niobe.org and libedit support was documented. - 2020: Numeric behavior was made more consistent across platforms and tests. - 2023: Version 2.0 changed the project license to GPLv3-or-later and added GNU Readline support. - 2023: The official manual was updated for bas55 2.0. ### Related projects - ECMA-55 is the Minimal BASIC standard implemented by bas55. - The official homepage links to John Gatewood Ham's ECMA-55 Minimal BASIC compiler and learning material as related software and documentation. - The National Bureau of Standards Minimal BASIC test programs are referenced by the homepage and NEWS file as a conformance resource. ### Sources - - - - - source_facts.package-manager ## Security Notes generalized runtime or code generation signal. - **Geiger risk:** yellow / medium - generalized runtime or code generation signal ## Source Database Details - **Source Database:** Homebrew formula API - **Tap:** homebrew/core - **Full Name:** bas55 - **Version Scheme:** 0 - **Revision:** 0 - **Bottle Stable Root URL:** - **Deprecated:** no - **Disabled:** no - **Keg Only:** no - **URL Keys:** stable ## Related links - [Secret-risk packages](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/secret-risk-packages/) - Has protected-tool coverage, approval-gate, or non-low Geiger security signals. - [Terminal utility packages](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/terminal-utilities/) - Matched terminal and command-line workflow metadata. - [Language runtime packages](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/language-runtime-packages/) - Matched language runtime, compiler, or interpreter metadata. - [Networking and protocol packages](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/networking-protocol-tools/) - Matched network, protocol, or remote-service metadata. - [cbmbasic](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/cbmbasic/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: basic, cli, interpreter, language-runtime. - [bic](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/bic/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: basic, cli, interpreter, language-runtime. - [abcl](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/abcl/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, interpreter, language-runtime. - [algol68g](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/algol68g/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, interpreter, language-runtime. - [arturo](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/arturo/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, interpreter, language-runtime. - [befunge93](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/befunge93/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, interpreter, language-runtime. - [brainfuck](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/brainfuck/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, interpreter, language-runtime. - [chibi-scheme](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/chibi-scheme/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, interpreter, language-runtime. ## Combined YAML source View the package source record on GitHub. [combined/bas55.yml](https://github.com/automic-vault/db/blob/main/combined/bas55.yml) ## Sources - Nucleus package database - Geiger risk classifier - package-page enrichment - curated package history - package version freshness - av.db category and tag curation - package relationship graph - cross-ecosystem install command graph