Re: BBC BASIC on the iPhone

Hated Moron · Post by **Hated Moron** » Tue 23 Aug 2022, 20:16

On 23/08/2022 18:05, svrsig wrote (cross-posted from Discussion Group):

I am considering upgrading from my Nokia 3110 to an iphone 13 mini and want to know whether BBC BASIC will run on this device and, if so, what do I need to do please?

It will run, but Apple doesn't make it easy! Firstly you have to jump through the hoops of their Ad Hoc distribution system, which means I have to add every single device individually to the Distribution Certificate. Secondly, that certificate lasts only one year, so it must be renewed annually and a new version created (currently only I can do that) and installed.

There are more minor issues, such as Apple not allowing 'arbitrary code execution' so assembler code doesn't work. Then there's iOS being only 64-bits which must be taken into account when writing programs (although that's the way all platforms are going so perhaps is no bad thing). But nevertheless I think I'm right in saying that every example program supplied with the Android edition also runs in the iOS edition.

However useful I think BBC BASIC is, it wouldn't be right for it to determine your choice of phone. So if you're sure you want to "upgrade" to an iPhone (it wouldn't be my choice of word) go ahead and send me the UDID by following the instructions at the website.

svrsig · Post by **svrsig** » Mon 19 Sep 2022, 19:17

Right. I have a few things to do (having had some discussion with Richard) - load BBC BASIC SDL on my Windoze machine so that I can see how it operates on a proper machine rather than an iphone.

Then I have to discover how to enable 'Location Services' from BBC BASIC SDL on the iphone.

Then I have to work out how to obtain current coordinates from the GPS system on the iphone from BBC BASIC.

If these need to be 'baked in' to BBCBASIC, then Richard may be able to do this and has suggested that Darren Storer may be able to help.

My plan is to write an app in BBC BASIC that reads the location and displays it several forms, including OSGB36 grid reference and OSGB36 lat and long as well as WGS84 lat and long. I have written the algorithms and just need the iphone-specific OS call.