BaCon - BASIC to C converter

About

BaCon is a free BASIC to C translator for Unix-based systems, which runs on most Unix/Linux/BSD platforms, including MacOSX. It intends to be a programming aid in creating tools which can be compiled on different platforms (including 64bit environments), while trying to revive the days of the good old BASIC.

BaCon can be described as a translator, a converter, a source-to-source compiler, a transcompiler or a transpiler. It also can be described as a very elaborate preprocessor to C. BaCon is implemented in generic shell script and in itself. Therefore, to start using Bacon, the target system must have either Korn Shell, or ZShell, or Bourne Again Shell (BASH) available. Furthermore, BaCon also works with a newer Kornshell implementation like the MirBSD Korn Shell.

The shell script implementation can convert and compile the BaCon version of BaCon. This will deliver the binary version of BaCon which has an extremely high conversion performance. On newer systems, the average conversion rate usually lies above 10.000 lines per second.

Code converted by BaCon can be compiled by GCC, the Compaq C Compiler, TCC, the clang/LLVM compiler (and possibly by other C compilers), but also by C++ compilers like g++ or clang++.

Examples

The Zeller algorithm here
UTF8 encoder here
Simple calculator program here
CGI demonstration here
GTK-server demo here and a Glade file here
Brainfuck interpreter here
Respace files here
ROT13 encoder/decoder here
Mastermind game here and a screenshot
Recursive fibonacci and factorial functions
Walk through a directory tree here
Generate prime numbers here
Generate m3u files here
Convert decimal to Roman here and vice versa here
A Quine program here, a smaller Quine here, even smaller here, and smaller here
DPI calculator here created by Vovchik
A simple GOPHER client here
System boot time here
Binary file dumper here
BaCon Bullshit Bingo here created by Vovchik
Password generator here created by Vovchik
Testing randomness program here created by Vovchik
The Soundex algorithm here created by Vovchik
The Metaphone algorithm here created by Vovchik
The Double Metaphone algorithm here created by Vovchik
BaCon On This Day here created by Vovchik
Calculate netmask here
Console sinus waves here
Check remote site here modified version here by Vovchik
Get the weather here created by Vovchik
Benchmark program for BaCon, for BCX and for newLisp
Binary downloads here
Simple BaCon Shell here
Some goniometric functions here created by Vovchik
Picture scaling here created by Vovchik
Whois lookup here
Fetch all BaCon programs here
99 beers on the wall here created by Vovchik
Haiku generator here
Genetive Algorithm here
Print Unicode here
Expanded 'which' here created by Vovchik
BMI calculator here created by Vovchik
Happy Numbers here created by Vovchik
Play an MP3 file here
How to use small BaCon keywords here and a full lowercase mapping here
An MD5 calculator here created by Vovchik
SuperFastHash here by Peter Fedorow
Run-Length Encoder here and a Decoder here
LZ77 Encoder here and a Decoder here
SCTP scan here
A simple webserver here
Calculate md5sum here
Console based editor here
BaCon indent here
BaCon sanity here
The Game of Life here
Obtain daytime here
Play MIDI files here
ASCII Art demonstration here and here or here needs the STB public domain library.
Slash esoteric language interpreter here
LZW Encoder here and a Decoder here
BaCon propriety compressor here and a decompressor here
A Minimal Browser here
New mail indicator here

More BaCon examples can be found on the Rosetta Code Wiki pages.

Extensions

Wrappers

Wrappers are BaCon functions built around external libraries.

INCLUDE: Highlevel Universal GUI here

Documentation: online
A tutorial for the High level Universal Gui (HUG) can be found here - created by forum member Bigbass.
Import definitions when using HUG as a shared object: HUG imports
Landscape generator here and a screenshot
Textual copy between computers here
A remake of Color Lines and a screenshot
A remake of Qix and a screenshot
A BaCon Forum checker and a screenshot by Tomaaz
System graphical disk fill and a screenshot by Vovchik
The 15 puzzle game and a screenshot
Example moving stars demonstration (screenshot)
Example Plasma demonstration (screenshot)
Example OpenGL canvas program (screenshot)
Haiku generator here with picture and a screenshot by Vovchik
The game of Inversi and a screenshot
Example Dancing Letter Generator program (screenshot) and a HTML version here by Vovchik
Example Network Calculator program (screenshot)
Example screensaver program
Example Twitter Updater program (screenshot)
Example Password Manager program (screenshot)
The Bullshit Bingo GUI version by Vovchik and a screenshot
Example M3U program (screenshot)
Example dictionary program (screenshot and a Win32 screenshot)
Example clock program (screenshot)
Example fractal program (screenshot)
The Pikona Icon Assembler by Vovchik and a screenshot

INCLUDE: Secure Socket Layer here - needs the TLSE public domain library

Fetch a website using HTTPS: here
Connect to an SMTP server using SSL: here
Connect to a POP server using SSL: here
Connect to an IMAP server using SSL: here

INCLUDE: The High Performance Canvas here

High Performance Canvas Plugin: load JPG/PNG/TGA/BMP/PSD/GIF/HDR/PIC files here - needs the STB public domain library

Interactive MIDI Player here
Clines Game here
Aquarium here
Load images here
Load animation strip here

High Performance Canvas Plugin: load SVG files here - needs the NanoSVG library

Load images here

High Performance Canvas Plugin: widgets here

Midi player here

High Performance Canvas Plugin: load XPM files here

Load XPM image here

High Performance Canvas Plugin: use Nuklear GUI here - needs the Nuklear header file (public domain)

Nuklear demo here
Another Nuklear demo here

The High Performance Canvas API ported to GIF Draw here
The High Performance Canvas API ported to XTerm here

Interactive MIDI Player here
Turtle Graphics Tree here
Broccoli here
Particles Cleaner animation here
Load a JPG/PNG/TGA/BMP/PSD/GIF/HDR/PIC image here - needs the STB public domain library

More canvas example programs here

INCLUDE: SQLite Database Engine here

Documentation: SQLite
Another example program: here created by Vovchik
Example program: demonstration

INCLUDE: GNU Multiple Precision Arithmetic Library here

Documentation: gmp
Example program: demonstration

INCLUDE: Beep the PC Speaker here

Example program: piano

Interfaces

Interfaces are straight imports from external libraries into BaCon.

INCLUDE: OpenAL library here

OpenAL Plugin: play OGG files here - needs the STB public domain library

Demo playing OGG file using plugin here

OpenAL Plugin: play WAV files here

Demo playing WAV file using plugin here

OpenAL Plugin: play MID files here

Old-school MML renderer here
Demo playing MID file using plugin here

OpenAL Plugin: play MID files with soundfont here

Demo playing MIDI file with soundfont using plugin here

OpenAL Plugin: play MP3 files here

Demo playing MP3 file using plugin here

OpenAL Plugin: play FLAC files here - needs the dr_libs public domain library

Demo playing FLAC file using plugin here

OpenAL Plugin: use TinySoundFont rendering here - needs the Tiny Sound Font library (MIT License)

Demo playing MML string using plugin here

Full command line OGG player here - needs the STB public domain library
Play OGG file demonstration - needs the STB public domain library
Standalone FLAC player here - needs the Mini Audio public domain library

INCLUDE: ALUT library here

Hello world demonstration

INCLUDE: eSpeak library here

Demonstration program: speak some text

INCLUDE: CURL library here created by Doyle Whisenant

Download binary file over FTP: demonstration by Doyle Whisenant
Upload binary file over FTP: demonstration by Doyle Whisenant
Download binary file over FTP: demonstration
Download binary file over HTTP: demonstration
Store HTTPS website into variable: demonstration
Print HTTP website: demonstration

INCLUDE: MySQL Database Engine here

Example MySQL client: demonstration

INCLUDE: Lua Library here

Example 'sum' demonstration with a Lua program created by Doyle Whisenant
Example 'hello' demonstration with a Lua program created by Doyle Whisenant

INCLUDE: POSIX Threads Library here

Documentation: POSIX Threads
Multithreaded TCP server: here
Example threads program: demonstration

INCLUDE: nCurses Library here
INCLUDE: Form Library here
INCLUDE: Panel Library here

Documentation: curses
Example curses program: demonstration and another one here
Example form program: demonstration
Example panel program: demonstration and another one here

INCLUDE: GD Drawing Library here

Documentation: libgd
Example GIF animation: demonstration and an animated screenshot
Example drawing program: demonstration and a screenshot

INCLUDE: Glade library here
INCLUDE: Gtk library here
INCLUDE: Gdk library here
INCLUDE: GtkGlArea library here
INCLUDE: GtkGlExt library here

Documentation: GTK
Full GTK application: Tray Icon for Puppy Linux with an icon and a screenshot by Doyle Whisenant and Vovchik
GTK example: Source Code Editor with GtkSourceView here and a screenshot
Glade example: calculator program here and a screenshot
Glade example: demonstration here and a Glade file here
GTK example: Go program here and a screenshot
GTK example: demonstration here and a screenshot
GTK code snippet#4: here
GTK code snippet#3: here and a screenshot
GTK code snippet#2: here and a screenshot
GTK code snippet#1: here
GTK example: demonstration here and a screenshot

INCLUDE: GLUT library here
INCLUDE: GLU library here
INCLUDE: GL library here

Documentation: OpenGL, GLU, Glut
Example plasma program (screenshot)
Example stars program (screenshot)
Example fractal program (screenshot)
Example molehill program (screenshot)
Example stroke program (screenshot)
Example worms program (screenshot)
Example blender program (screenshot)
Example gears program (screenshot)
Example Teapot program (screenshot) - link with external library!

FAQ

Which version of Kornshell is required? Which version of ZShell is required? Which version of BASH is required?

How is this converter licensed?

MIT License

Why does BaCon need BASH or Kornshell, a.k.a. why was BaCon implemented in shell script?

Shell script was chosen to ensure maximum Unix compatibility; on each Unix version and Linux distribution a Kornshell or BASH can be found.
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.

lame

Kornshell website

programming language

Do we really need to write BaCon keywords in capitals?

The generated C code is hard to read!

How to compile GTK programs in OpenBSD?

How about a Win32 Version?

Cygwin

here

Where can I find more free BASIC interpreters and compilers?

The Free Country

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

Are you the author of the GTK-server project?

How to provide feedback on this project?

Message Board

Is there some other way I can help?

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

Which platforms are supported?