The Sinclair QL Forum

Ruptor wrote:Hi Norm
From the previous discussions I thought someone would just say Python or Javascript that seemed like the choices. The app on computer or phone is only going to be used to set parameters on a piece of hardware & start or stop it. I want one app that runs on any platform so there is only one copy or is that still not possible after 50 years of computers? Python sounds like it is the simple one but I have no idea hence the question.

Hi Ruptor
You can have a look on a language :8th (8th-dev). IT is a derivative of Forth. The idea of the conceptor is to develop a language for all plateform.
I follow it since some years and the evolution seems interessting. It has some good function. As it is really young, we find some bug, but the developper is really efficient and respond every time.
Best regards
Dominique

Thanks guys it sounds like I shall have to stick to FPC that I prefer and maintain compiled copies for each OS. I prefer FPC to C & C++ . The so called cross platform languages don't sound like much use if they require other environments not standard in the OS or there is the possibility of being blocked.

Hi,

If you can write a QL operating system in Pascal, I would be interested in looking at it.

Hi Ruptor,

Ruptor wrote:The so called cross platform languages don't sound like much use if they require other environments not standard in the OS or there is the possibility of being blocked.

I'm not following you here, sorry. QT for example, comes with everything you need for cross platform development in C++, as does wxWidgets. I don't see what you think is missing from the "environments". Both are open source, and you get all the source code, plus you can have a non-open source version of QT - if you need to keep your own source code private.

JavaScript, as Stephen pointed out, has recently broken some stuff in the name of privacy/security/whatever. That's the drawback of browser based languages. And is the source for JavaScript available?

I like FPC too, with Lazarus, for cross platform development - but I have to confess to not doing any Pascal for about 20 plus years. FPC/Lazarus was fun though.


Cheers,
Norm.

Hi Norm

NormanDunbar wrote:I'm not following you here, sorry. QT for example, comes with everything you need for cross platform development in C++, as does wxWidgets. I don't see what you think is missing from the "environments".

Ideally I want compile once run on anything not compile for each OS. I haven't used C++ in 20 years and I still have nightmares from trying to do one job where I couldn't get it to compile with this and that things missing. I ended up doing that job in visual basic. On Lazarus FPC I have never had similar problems even using peripherals with ease. I found this
https://wiki.freepascal.org/FPC_and_Qt
so QT4 looks promising using Pascal my favourite.

complers tend to build code to run on a paritcular platform, so the idea that you can compile some source language into an executable that will run anywhere will only ever work if their is some sort of 'hosted platform' or virtual machine that can run anywhere and it is for this that you are compiling.

NormanDunbar wrote:Hi Ruptor,
JavaScript, as Stephen pointed out, has recently broken some stuff in the name of privacy/security/whatever. That's the drawback of browser based languages. And is the source for JavaScript available?

Im guessing none of you guys has heard of Node https://nodejs.org/en/

XorA wrote:Im guessing none of you guys has heard of Node https://nodejs.org/en/

Umm, yes, I have

And CoffeeScript, TypeScript etc too. I still can't write code in it though!

Cheers,
Norm.

Pr0f wrote:complers tend to build code to run on a paritcular platform, so the idea that you can compile some source language into an executable that will run anywhere will only ever work if their is some sort of 'hosted platform' or virtual machine that can run anywhere and it is for this that you are compiling.

What Pr0f said!

I have used only 2 languages which compiled on any given platform and were binary compatible on any other supported platform - without recompiling. One is/was Java, the other was Compuware's Uniface. Both are bytecode and interpreted by default.

Python is sort of platform independant - the same code can be run on any supported platform as it is compiled to bytecode when first executed, then that is interpreted.

Cheers,
Norm.

Hi Norman & Ruptor,

NormanDunbar wrote:
<< Hi Ruptor,
JavaScript, as Stephen pointed out, has recently broken some stuff in the name of privacy/security/whatever. That's the drawback of browser based languages. And is the source for JavaScript available? >>

We have decided that JavaScript is such a convenient language for cross-platform use, that we will not give up on it yet !
If we can work around the recent browser limitations, I shall report back.
I don't think the language developers will have shot hemselves in their own feet !
It is probably that we just don't know the full possibilities of it as of yet.... We are just beginners, after all.

Best Wishes,
Steve.