iwbc

One language. Cross-platform by design.

Compile classic .iwb sources with LLVM toward Windows, Linux, Mac, Apple, and Android—same dialect, native where each platform runs.

Get the Windows beta See the platforms

What it is

The IWBasic compiler, rebuilt for multiple platforms.

iwbc reads Ionic Wind Basic the way the manuals describe it, then lowers it through LLVM into a normal executable. One .iwb dialect across desktops and devices—not a sandbox, not a toy VM, and not a rewrite for every OS.

Cross-platform

Windows, Linux, Mac, Apple, Android—one compiler story.

LLVM is the bridge: iwbc aims at native code for the platforms people actually ship on. Windows and Linux are what you can run today; Mac, Apple (iOS / iPadOS), and Android are on the roadmap as toolchains and runtimes land—same language front end, not a fork per store.

Windows Now
Self-contained x64 beta: extract, compile samples, run native .exes with familiar Win32-style UI.
Linux Now
Build from the project tree; many windowed programs use the GTK-backed runtime. Same language, host-native binary.
Mac Roadmap
macOS (Apple Silicon and Intel) via LLVM Darwin targets—desktop apps from the same .iwb sources once packaging and runtime catch up.
Apple Roadmap
iPhone and iPad as first-class mobile targets in the same cross-platform plan—LLVM IR today, device runtimes and app packaging as the next layer.
Android Roadmap
Phone and tablet reach beyond the desktop: native ARM builds driven by the same compiler core, with Android runtime and UI bindings to follow.
Same sources
Tools, games, and demos stay in one dialect. Platform differences live in the runtime and linker—not a second language for each store.

Who it’s for

Testers, hobbyists, and keepers of old .iwb code.

Beta testers on Windows
Grab the self-contained zip, extract, double-click COMPILE_SAMPLE.cmd. No MSYS2 required for the easy path.
Builders on Linux
Same language front end, GTK-hosted runtime for many windowed programs, native binaries from your tree.
People with real IWBasic sources
Day planners, editors, 2D demos, address books—the goal is fidelity to iwb.txt, not a lookalike dialect.
Contributors
Open backlog: sample regression, parser edge cases, friendlier diagnostics. The compiler lives in this project; beta packages ship separately.

How it works

Three moves from zip to “hello.”

  1. Extract Download the latest iwbasic-selfcontained-win64-*.zip and Extract All…
  2. Compile Run COMPILE_SAMPLE.cmd—or drop your .iwb into samples and use the one-file helper.
  3. Run Launch the exe. If SmartScreen blinks, More info → Run anyway—the beta isn’t code-signed yet.

Beta

Try iwbc while it’s moving fast.

Feedback shapes the next zip. Bring a checklist, a VERSION.txt, and whatever broke—or worked—when you pressed compile.

Download latest release Beta package repo