GW-BASIC is a programming language developed by Microsoft in the early 1980s. It is an interpreter for the BASIC programming language, designed to run on IBM PC compatible computers. GW-BASIC allows users to write simple programs for tasks like calculations, data processing, and game development. GW-BASIC was widely used in the early days of personal computing due to its ease of use and accessibility. It provided a straightforward way for beginners to learn programming concepts. Over time, it was succeeded by more advanced languages, but it remains a significant part of computing history.