BaCon – BASIC to C converter

• Which version of Kornshell is required? Which version of ZShell is required? Which version of BASH is required?
For Kornshell, any version will do. For ZShell, version 4.x or higher is required. For BASH, version 3.2 or higher is required, version 4.x recommended.
• How is this converter licensed?
BaCon is licensed under the MIT License.
• Why does BaCon need BASH or Kornshell, a.k.a. why was BaCon implemented in shell script?

1. Shell script was chosen to ensure maximum Unix compatibility; on each Unix version and Linux distribution a Kornshell or BASH can be found.
2. Now only one program has to be downloaded to perform Basic-to-C conversion, so no hazzle to download different kinds of binaries for all the different Unix versions with their particular binary formats and dependencies.

If you think this is impossible or strange or lame, refer to the common Kornshell website where Kornshell is described as a command and programming language. Note that a standalone BaCon binary always can be created by compiling the BaCon version of BaCon.

Do we really need to write BaCon keywords in capitals?

This is the default. It is a consequence of the fundamental decision to pass expressions as-they-are to the C compiler, which otherwise can cause name conflicts with existing C keywords and C functions from external libraries. For example, the Libc function 'exit' would conflict with 'EXIT', 'read' with 'READ', 'free' with 'FREE', etc. However, BaCon can accept lowercase also by using the '-z' command line option. Feel free to do so at your own risk. Your mileage may vary.

The generated C code is hard to read!

That maybe so. But contrary to other BASIC to C converters, BaCon generates C code which does a lot of things for you. For example, when using string variables, BaCon adds code which makes sure that sufficient memory is allocated. And if the string gets bigger, BaCon also includes code to enlarge that memory. Another example is that BaCon can break out loops to any preferred level. To achieve such functionality, loops like 'while' and 'repeat' contain extra code. And there is much more going on behind your back, to make the BASIC program work as it should. Therefore, the generated C code may look confusing and complicated.

How to compile GTK programs in OpenBSD?

Compile as follows: ./bacon -l pthread gtkprogram.bac

How about a Win32 Version?

That will never be. This project started just because there was no decent BASIC to C converter for Unix. However, BaCon works in a Cygwin environment. For Windows, a native Basic to C converter can be found here.

Where can I find more free BASIC interpreters and compilers?

Check out the website of The Free Country, they have a lot of programming tools for all kinds of languages!

Is there any relation with this BACON Basic converter or the Bacon programming language?

No.

Why are you maintaining this project? Who are you anyway?

The Finnish programmer Kristian Virtanen held an interview with me, read it here.

Are you the author of the GTK-server project?

Yes, I am.

How to provide feedback on this project?

There is a Message Board where all issues and problems can be logged.

Is there some other way I can help?

You might consider to provide a donation to keep BaCon free:

Which platforms are supported?

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