Just to note that Richard has released version 1.09a of BBC BASIC for SDL 2.0. It is available from the usual sources. Announcements - possibly with further details - have been posted to:
https://stardot.org.uk/forums/viewtopic ... 99#p257299
https://www.raspberrypi.org/forums/view ... 0#p1594040
BBC BASIC for SDL 2.0 version 1.09a released
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RNBW
- Posts: 32
- Joined: Thu 05 Apr 2018, 21:41
Re: BBC BASIC for SDL 2.0 version 1.09a released
Just installed 1.09a and done a quick check with SDLIDE and this update seems to have got over the problems I had with clicking on files to load. I've not checked any code, but by design or coincidence it works, so I'm happy.
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KenDown
- Posts: 327
- Joined: Wed 04 Apr 2018, 06:36
Re: BBC BASIC for SDL 2.0 version 1.09a released
Richard has sent the following post:
=========
Now that BBCSDL includes the Memory Monitor utility (it has been a long time coming!) there are few remaining areas where it can be claimed that 'BBC BASIC for Windows' has superior functionality to 'BBC BASIC for SDL 2.0'. As far as Add-In Utilities are concerned only the Module Viewer and Windows Constants utilities are 'missing' (note that the BB4W Differences and Profiler utilities have equivalents built into BBCSDL rather than being provided by add-ins).
There are of course areas where BBCSDL already has significantly better functionality than BB4W. The list of FNs and PROCs can (optionally) be sorted alphabetically, which it can't be in BB4W. SDLIDE has a 'Dark Mode' which some people like, especially when working at night. And the IDEs are 'crash proof' in the sense that, unlike BB4W, when you test your BASIC program it is 'sandboxed' by running in a separate process.
Then there are the advantages that SDL itself gives you, such as 'free' scaling of BASIC's output to fit the window size (making 'full screen' operation much more straightforward) and GPU-accelerated 2D graphics which, when coding in 'pure BASIC', can offer a performance that in BB4W can only be achieved using assembler code.
So I'd be interested to know what, if any, features are still missing from BBCSDL which cause you to be reluctant to try it, or any other reasons why you are sticking with BB4W rather than branching out into cross-platform BBC BASIC programming.
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=========
Now that BBCSDL includes the Memory Monitor utility (it has been a long time coming!) there are few remaining areas where it can be claimed that 'BBC BASIC for Windows' has superior functionality to 'BBC BASIC for SDL 2.0'. As far as Add-In Utilities are concerned only the Module Viewer and Windows Constants utilities are 'missing' (note that the BB4W Differences and Profiler utilities have equivalents built into BBCSDL rather than being provided by add-ins).
There are of course areas where BBCSDL already has significantly better functionality than BB4W. The list of FNs and PROCs can (optionally) be sorted alphabetically, which it can't be in BB4W. SDLIDE has a 'Dark Mode' which some people like, especially when working at night. And the IDEs are 'crash proof' in the sense that, unlike BB4W, when you test your BASIC program it is 'sandboxed' by running in a separate process.
Then there are the advantages that SDL itself gives you, such as 'free' scaling of BASIC's output to fit the window size (making 'full screen' operation much more straightforward) and GPU-accelerated 2D graphics which, when coding in 'pure BASIC', can offer a performance that in BB4W can only be achieved using assembler code.
So I'd be interested to know what, if any, features are still missing from BBCSDL which cause you to be reluctant to try it, or any other reasons why you are sticking with BB4W rather than branching out into cross-platform BBC BASIC programming.
==========
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Edja
- Posts: 64
- Joined: Tue 03 Apr 2018, 12:07
- Location: Belgium
Re: BBC BASIC for SDL 2.0 version 1.09a released
You've asked : "So I'd be interested to know ..............why you are sticking with BB4W rather than branching out into cross-platform BBC BASIC programming"
I need the COMLIB library that comes with BB4W to be able to interact with Excel. My understanding is that BBCSDL doesn't support COMLIB. For that reason I haven't considered to switch to BBCSDL.
For future development (not that I'm so productive), not involving Excel/COMLIB, I would seriously consider to switch, mainly to stay in tune with the latest up-to-date BBCSDL programming environment and its utilities.
The cross-platform argument doesn't apply in my personal(!!) case as I develop for my own use and in Win10.
I think I may have already mentioned this in the past: I am a dinosaur.
Kind regards,
Edja
I need the COMLIB library that comes with BB4W to be able to interact with Excel. My understanding is that BBCSDL doesn't support COMLIB. For that reason I haven't considered to switch to BBCSDL.
For future development (not that I'm so productive), not involving Excel/COMLIB, I would seriously consider to switch, mainly to stay in tune with the latest up-to-date BBCSDL programming environment and its utilities.
The cross-platform argument doesn't apply in my personal(!!) case as I develop for my own use and in Win10.
I think I may have already mentioned this in the past: I am a dinosaur.
Kind regards,
Edja
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KenDown
- Posts: 327
- Joined: Wed 04 Apr 2018, 06:36
Re: BBC BASIC for SDL 2.0 version 1.09a released
Richard has sent me this reply to the previous post:
============
COM Automation (hence COMLIB) is specifically a Windows "thing". It's important to understand that whilst there is a Windows edition of BBCSDL, it does not run 'under' Windows, it runs 'under' SDL (the Simple DirectMedia Layer). SDL acts as an 'abstraction layer' and it isolates the application program (e.g. BBCSDL) from the underlying Operating System (e.g. Windows).
So whenever you want to do something 'Windows specific' BBCSDL isn't really suitable. Even if you 'tunnelled through' SDL to gain access to Windows, which you probably could if you tried hard enough, you would instantly prevent the program from running under a different OS. This would defeat the entire object of BBCSDL.
> I think I may have already mentioned this in the past: I am a dinosaur.
So do you not own a smart device like a mobile phone, tablet or smart TV? If you don't, then I can quite understand that you would have no interest in BBCSDL. But such devices are rapidly becoming ubiquitous, and indeed almost essential to allow you to access banking and other services.
For the majority of people who do own an Android or iOS device I would expect them to have an interest in programming that device, or porting programs they have already written to that device, or generally exploiting the device to the full. This is where 'BBC BASIC for SDL 2.0' really comes into its own. At the very least install it, run the supplied examples, and try to understand how they work.
=============
============
COM Automation (hence COMLIB) is specifically a Windows "thing". It's important to understand that whilst there is a Windows edition of BBCSDL, it does not run 'under' Windows, it runs 'under' SDL (the Simple DirectMedia Layer). SDL acts as an 'abstraction layer' and it isolates the application program (e.g. BBCSDL) from the underlying Operating System (e.g. Windows).
So whenever you want to do something 'Windows specific' BBCSDL isn't really suitable. Even if you 'tunnelled through' SDL to gain access to Windows, which you probably could if you tried hard enough, you would instantly prevent the program from running under a different OS. This would defeat the entire object of BBCSDL.
> I think I may have already mentioned this in the past: I am a dinosaur.
So do you not own a smart device like a mobile phone, tablet or smart TV? If you don't, then I can quite understand that you would have no interest in BBCSDL. But such devices are rapidly becoming ubiquitous, and indeed almost essential to allow you to access banking and other services.
For the majority of people who do own an Android or iOS device I would expect them to have an interest in programming that device, or porting programs they have already written to that device, or generally exploiting the device to the full. This is where 'BBC BASIC for SDL 2.0' really comes into its own. At the very least install it, run the supplied examples, and try to understand how they work.
=============