Draft:Command-based computer

Submission declined on 13 March 2026 by RangersRus (talk).

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Declined by RangersRus 4 months ago. Last edited by RangersRus 4 months ago. Reviewer: Inform author.

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Submission declined on 12 March 2026 by I am bad at usernames (talk).

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Declined by I am bad at usernames 4 months ago.

Submission declined on 11 March 2026 by I am bad at usernames (talk).

This draft is not adequately supported by reliable sources. Wikipedia's verifiability policy requires that all content be supported by reliable sources.

Reliable sources include: reputable newspapers, magazines, academic journals, and books from respected publishers.
Unacceptable sources include: personal blogs, social media, predatory publishers, most tabloids, and websites where anyone can contribute.

Replace any unreliable sources with high-quality sources. If you cannot find a reliable source for the material, it should be removed.

Declined by I am bad at usernames 4 months ago.

Comment: The article currently has no sources. Articles on Wikipedia must be sourced. I am bad at usernames (talk · contribs) 22:04, 11 March 2026 (UTC)

Command-based computer is an informal term used here to describe early personal computers whose primary user interaction was through typed commands or simple text-based input rather than modern graphical interfaces.^[1]

In many early microcomputers, users worked directly with command interpreters or programming languages such as BASIC.^[2]

Many of the first commercially available microcomputers were built in the mid-1970s and used simple text-based interfaces. For example, the Altair 8800 could be programmed via switches or connected to a terminal to accept typed commands on a serial device, while systems such as the Apple I, Apple II, and Commodore PET provided built-in BASIC interpreters.

Examples

Sample programs

The following examples show simple BASIC commands that were commonly used on many early microcomputers that booted into BASIC interpreters.

BASIC systems

To print the string "Hello, World!" in BASIC:

PRINT "Hello, World!"

To compute 2 + 2:

PRINT 2 + 2

Sample programs could vary depending on each computer's built-in interpreter.

References

^ Ceruzzi, Paul E. (2003). A History of Modern Computing. MIT Press.
^ Freiberger, Paul (2000). Fire in the Valley: The Making of the Personal Computer.

[1] Ceruzzi, Paul E. (2003). A History of Modern Computing. MIT Press.

[2] Freiberger, Paul (2000). Fire in the Valley: The Making of the Personal Computer.

[1]

[2]

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Draft:Command-based computer

Examples

Sample programs

BASIC systems

See also

References