| From: | John Reimer |
| Date: | 30 Oct 2000 at 19:54:52 |
| Subject: | Re: AMIGEN: Amiga SDK details |
Thanks g'o'tz,
Your info gave me an idea of what to expect from the SDK.
g'o'tz ohnesorge wrote:
> Yes, vpcc is basically GNU's gcc.
Great!
> No, Sun doesn't allow distribution of theirs since they rather like to see their
> download numbers go up, but you can download their javac from their site for free.
Okay, then I'm afraid that I fail to see how Java support is included in the system.
Can you download the Java SDK specifically for the Amiga DE or ...
> The VP creates some confusion. In the system, there is no virtual processor at all.
> It's only a specification that the code is written for. When you boot the system,
> the boot file contains a copy of the kernel and a translator for the processor
> you're running on (otherwise you couldn't boot it anyway ;) ).
Okay, I assumed that VP code was a sort of virtual machine code similar to what Java
byte code is to the Java VM, and the translator amounts to optimizing compiler similar
to the Java JIT system (byte code -> processor specific code). Not exactly the same
perhaps, but similar? (I believe Tao's technology pre-dated Java by a good shot; I
remember Byte magazine - I think - featured an article about Tao and VP quite a few
years ago (late 80's / early 90's) but the details escape me :-).
> since even before the inception of the C=64
Sure, I know the good ol' 64.... :-) It were thu m'acheen I larn'ed ta pro'graam on -
6510 Assemblerin'. heh, heh, Amiga SDK here I come.... ;-)
> A graphical user interface of style and unseen ingenuity is under construction for
> the consumer version, but not yet available publically.
That would be great!
> A book of 300 pages giving a brief introduction to the whole concept, its parts, and
> how to use these. Prior hard knowledge on programming is seriously required, this is
> not a BASIC tutorial for first year elementary school.
Right, that's basically what I figured. I'm no programming guru, but I have a good
handle of C, C++, and some Intel assembler. I just got pulled into the IDE craze over
the last few years, and, well, it has made me a little reticent to go back to the
command-line. Not a problem, though. Just not as efficient ;-).
> It's not yet for the faint of heart, but if you're willing to go on an adventure,
> here it is.
Now that's a challenge I cannot refuse... ;-)
> Let me put it this way: when I boot into Windoze, I have a system that even my mom
> manages to get around with for most she needs. Linux tries to mimic this with
> graphical desktops and all, but still couldn't shake off its reputation for needing
> someone who is willing to read all the manuals in order to make things run.
Right. I've used Linux off and on for the last few years. I never really settled on it
despite my initial great fascination with the system. This was mainly because, though I
like fiddling with OS's, I was really not impressed with the phenomenal amount of
fiddling it required. And it came with way to many programs. I was never sure where or
if I had the required program or library (there seemed to be a million different
versions of as single library) for compiling or whatever. Recent Linux versions come in
so many different flavors it just isn't funny anymore. A couple of the distributions
aren't too bad -- maybe Redhat and SUSE (they have some tolerably good config tools),
but some of the others are nothing but trouble. The reason I stubbornly tolerate Linux
is because I really don't like windoze at all, despite the fact that it's easier to use
than Linux overall. Programming for one environment like Elate sounds VERY attractive
to me (they are way to many interfaces/systems to program for out there, especially on
Linux!).
> For the SDK, this shouldn't make much of a difference. On Windoze, I click an icon,
> and seconds later the Elate, err, Amiga command lin shell smiles at me. On Linux,
> you have to type in "intent_shell" on a console command line. From there on, same
> game on both.
This seems to offer a little sanity to the Linux version. It seems straightforward
enough.
> If you never used Linux before, get the Windows version. I know I would.
> Keeps the learning down to one system.
Makes sense. It's better to be very familiar with the system your working on first.
> As it stands, we can not offer cross-updates between the Linux and Windows versions,
> so your decision for either will be final unless you can accept to pay twice. I'm
> sorry if this makes the decision harder.
No problem. I have seen the recent discussions that were going on concerning this
issure. Not really a concern from my perspective. I'll make my choice...uhh...hmmm....
:-).
> Ok, I hope this all won't scare you. Classic Amiga wasn't better off either when the
> A1000 with OS1.1 was the only thing available, but it made it anyway. :)
<shivers> me, scared? Nahh!
It's an adventure!!
Sincerely,
John
PS. anybody working on porting the Python language to Amiga DE yet?