Show HN: WebBase-III – dBASE III rebuilt in the browser with its own interpreter
WebBase-III is a browser-based reimplementation of dBASE III, featuring its own interpreter that allows users to run the classic database software directly in a web browser.
Background
- dBASE III was a hugely popular database management system and programming language for DOS in the 1980s, used by businesses for everything from inventory to payroll. It combined a database engine with its own procedural programming language, allowing non-professional developers to build full data-entry applications without knowing C or Pascal.
- This project is a retrocomputing recreation: the developer rebuilt dBASE III from scratch to run entirely in a web browser. It includes a custom interpreter that understands dBASE commands (.PRG files), a file-based virtual disk system, and a terminal-style UI that emulates the original's blue-screen text interface.
- It matters because it preserves a piece of software history — millions of business apps written in dBASE are still in use or archived, and tools like this make those programs accessible again without needing vintage hardware, DOSBox, or abandoned operating systems.