AbstractA standard for BASIC is nearing completion. An integral part of that standard is a module of the language addressing the needs of real‐time applications. This paper describes the features of real‐time BASIC, highlighting the concurrency aspects, the mechanisms provided for inter‐process communication and synchronization, and for communication with the hardware system. An example showing how the language may be used to control the environment and pump water from a mine shaft is included. The use of the language with a distributed control system is also discussed.