I just noticed this thread.  Some of you have probably already read it, but it was an excellent read:

http://discuss.joelonsoftware.com/default.asp?joel.3.390434.5

The part I found most intriguing was leaving a compiler written in assembler for a more portable one, w/ a more OO-like language, written in C.

It was also interesting seeing a history of BASIC forms like that, Thunder and all.