Re: [BLACKBOX] BB & Linux - was: Mobile-device development

From: [at]} <CFB>
Date: Sat, 23 Feb 2008 15:48:29 +1030

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> -----Original Message-----
> From: BlackBox [mailto:BLACKBOX{([at]})nowhere.xy
> Wojtek Skulski
> Sent: Saturday, 23 February 2008 3:04 AM
> To: BLACKBOX{([at]})nowhere.xy
> Subject: Re: [BLACKBOX] BB & Linux - was: Mobile-device development
>
>
> In short, the embedded processing is more defined by hardware than
> by software. When software guys take over such discussions, they will
> quickly focus onto 1% of the problem, which is "how to make
> the SW ideal". SW guys seem to be missing the 99% of the problem,
> which is "how to make the embedded SW to run on a particular
> board with a particular CPU and particular set of peripherals".
>
> How to make it exist, is the real question. How to make it ideal,
> is not.
>

My line of thinking currently is that Component Pascal / Oberon in its
current form is too complex to be *easily* adaptable to a wide variety of
CPUs, operating environments, peripherals etc. I'm also assuming (correct me
if I'm wrong) that despite being 'as simple as possible' there are many
features in Oberon that are just not necessary to develop real-world
software on embedded systems. On the other hand, as you have pointed out,
when you are working closer to the hardware level there are other specific
features that might be useful that Oberon does not have. I'm currently
working on a minimal subset of the language that might be more easily ported
to a wider range of hardware, and then extended / adapted to suit that
particular environment.

However, all that is coincidental and arose from discussions in this
newsgroup. The initial intention of my experiments was to look for a simpler
system to introduce young first-time programmers e.g. 11-12 year olds to
computing. From my own experience I figure that is about the earliest age
that would be feasible. I wasn't first exposed to programming until I was
about 15-16 (as that was in the 1960's) but I was about 11-12 when I first
starting seriously experimenting with electronics. I believe that these two
types of activities need a similar level of understanding. Once they had
mastered the simple system, they would then be ready to move on to a
fully-fledged version of Oberon / Component Pascal and only have to learn
additional concepts - not relearn the basics.

Regards,
Chris Burrows
CFB Software
http://www.cfbsoftware.com/cp

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Received on Sat Feb 23 2008 - 06:18:29 UTC