BBCSDL update postponed

[Hated Moron]

A new release of BBC BASIC for SDL 2.0 is overdue, but I'm postponing it owing to ill health.

[jbk]

hello Richard
I hope that you get well soon

[p_m21987]

Hello,

I hope you'll be okay Richard, take care and rest well.
P.S. You are an admired & respected clever person, not a hated moron.

Thank you,
-PM

[MrHiggins]

Wishing you well and a speedy recovery Richard

[Soruk]

Only just seen this. Get well soon, Richard.

[Hated Moron]

Wishing you well and a speedy recovery Richard

Only just seen this. Get well soon, Richard.

Whilst the kind comments are of course appreciated, one does not "recover" or "get well" from the kind of progressive condition I have, it inexorably worsens (always assuming some miracle cure doesn't come along, but there are none on the horizon - it was as a result of a, now abandoned, clinical trial that my condition was tentatively diagnosed).

The question I ask myself, but cannot answer, is whether I should be more proactive in distancing myself from BBC BASIC. Would it be sensible to close down bbcbasic.co.uk and the other resources that are currently dependent - notionally at least - on my management, such as the Wiki, this forum, the Discussion Group etc., before I become incapable of doing so?

Answers on a (metaphorical) postcard please.

[Hated Moron]

On 28/08/2022 03:16, Maksim AbuAjamieh wrote:

I hope what happened with QB64 recently will not repeat here.

I don't know what happened with QB64, but I'm aware that the untimely death of Bob Zale had a major impact on Power BASIC.

One of the main reasons for making (my coded-in-C) BBC BASIC Open Source was to ensure that it could continue after I am no longer able to support it to the extent I would like. And when you include other versions of BBC BASIC (not least modern versions like Matrix Brandy) the community is huge and thriving.

So I don't think there's any danger of BBC BASIC suffering significantly as a result of the inevitable ravages of time, but I would encourage as many people as possible to take an interest not only in using it but in familiarising themselves with the source code and the build processes for the various platforms.

It might be difficult for any one person to take over fully from me, because they would need access to the variety of platforms I have here: multiple Windows and Linux PCs, two Apple Macs, Raspberry Pis of various generations (including the Pico), several Android and iOS devices etc. But the different editions could be 'farmed out' to different developers. GitHub is great for that.

[Hated Moron]

So I don't think there's any danger of BBC BASIC suffering significantly as a result of the inevitable ravages of time

Something else that can help ensure that BBC BASIC has a successful future is to encourage the younger generation(s) to use it. I fear that the current age-profile of users may be weighted towards the upper end, and I include myself in that!

It's easy to forget that as little as ten years ago BBC BASIC was commonly taught in (UK) schools. At that time it was recommended by the third-largest Examination Board in England, Wales and Northern Ireland: OCR (Oxford, Cambridge and RSA), and there was a whole chapter dedicated to it in their computing coursework book.

The curriculum has changed somewhat since, and BBC BASIC has fallen out of favour (although a few private schools teach it still). But there must be large numbers of young people who were exposed to BBC BASIC in school but may not have taken much interest in it since. How can we attract them?

[Hated Moron]

On 28/08/2022 18:29, Maksim AbuAjamieh wrote:

Here are some ideas, hope some of them might make sense:

1. A Better IDE, the old quickbasic4.50 and recent attempt to copy it by QB64 are miles ahead in my opinion than BBCBasic for Windows IDE

Go ahead. The great thing about the IDE itself being written in BBC BASIC - indeed such portable code that is runs equally well in BB4W and BBCSDL - is that it's very straightforward to experiment with. I'd be happy to receive submissions of an enhanced version. All I would say is please test it on a relative slow platform like a Raspberry Pi to make sure the performance is still acceptable.

2. True executables? QB64 spits out C++, that is a great approach.

No chance. If that was possible you could make a BBC BASIC compiler, but you can't (I'm not going to repeat all the well-known reasons why not here).

3. Updated tutorial reflecting new innovative, or popular programming constructs and techniques supported.

Again, feel free. You might want to consider whether modifying the existing tutorial is appropriate, or perhaps creating a new one would be better.

4. Showing off some production level use cases of the language.

There are some examples here, what more were you hoping for?

5. More modern website. We are no one longer in 1998.

I don't mind the plain ('old fashioned') style, personally. But I would be interested to see what you have in mind. I would ask, though, that it can be edited using a regular text editor; I don't have or know anything about tools such as WordPress, so I'd prefer it not to rely on that kind of thing.

6. More extensive and user friendly documentation, books, videos.

I'm surprised that you should describe the documentation as not "extensive", since I thought (when you include the Wiki) pretty much everything was already documented. Books and videos need somebody with the right skills (and some money)!

7. Benchmarks to show off performance on various OSes or on IOT devices.

Benchmarks can be misleading, and are easily manipulated to 'demonstrate' almost anything. So I'm not a fan, but I'd be interested to hear more details of what you have in mind.

8. More focus, if we want it used primarily to make games, it should be usable/supported on game platforms like steam.

This is not my area of expertise, but to the extent that BBCSDL uses SDL 2.0, doesn't that mean it is already 'supported' on Steam?

I'm pleased to see so many good ideas, but past experience makes me think that you'll have difficulty recruiting people to turn them into something concrete. Good luck!

[Hated Moron]

On 28/08/2022 20:36, Ivan wrote:

when I mark a e.g. variable all similar variables will also be marked.

SDLIDE already has that feature! Double-click on any variable etc. name and all other references to that name will be highlighted.

and breakpoints regarding the debugger.

SDLIDE already has breakpoints! Double-click in the left margin and it will set a breakpoint on that line, marked with a square. You can also set a breakpoint using Ctrl+B or the Run... Toggle Breakpoint menu selection.

Significantly, these are two features that SDLIDE has which the BBC BASIC for Windows IDE does not have!