The first BASIC implementations were compiled. In fact, compilation to machine code was one of the 4 original requirements for the language when it was first de

The first BASIC implementations were compiled. In fact, compilation to machine code was one of the 4 original requirements for the language when it was first developed as a language for the Dartmouth College time-sharing system (efficiency and performance being directly related to the number of users that the system could support.) Many early BASIC implementations for microcomputers (such as tiny BASIC) prioritized memory usage over speed, so they tended to favor interpreters. But as others have noted, numerous compiled BASIC implementations existed as well.