Help wanted - improved interface for in-browser edition

[Hated Moron]

PLEASE READ, DON'T ASSUME THIS IS NOT RELEVANT TO YOU.

As you will be aware, the in-browser edition of BBCSDL uses the same 'simplified' interface as the mobile (Android and iOS) editions, because it shares some of their limitations - for example not being able to open multiple windows - and because it was expedient to do so. This interface is created by the touchide.bbc program in examples/tools/.

But the browser interface doesn't share all the limitations of the Mobile editions (for example there will commonly be a physical keyboard rather than a touch screen) and could be made significantly more functional. Some other BASICs that can run in a browser do indeed provide a much more sophisticated and convenient interface, and it makes BBC BASIC look bad in comparison.

One obvious capability that is not taken advantage of at all in the current in-browser edition is the possibility of opening another browser tab, something which has no direct analogy in mobile editions. For example one could, in principle, have a program's source code open for editing in one tab and the output from the program running in another tab, not dissimilar to the interface the desktop IDEs provide.

So it would be highly desirable to develop such an enhanced interface for the in-browser edition, and it could improve the way that BBC BASIC is perceived. But there is a major snag, my illness means that I am no longer capable of doing that on my own. I could hopefully contribute some aspects, but to take on the entire development, particularly the 'cosmetic' features (which I've never been good at), is beyond my abilities now.

So this is (I'm sorry to say) another plea for help. If somebody could collaborate with me, perhaps in designing the 'look and feel' of the interface and perhaps coding some aspects of it, it might be manageable. Unfortunately past experience suggests that nobody will volunteer, or probably even respond at all. But perhaps this time it will be different (one can only hope).

PLEASE HELP.

[STOS]

PLEASE READ, DON'T ASSUME THIS IS NOT RELEVANT TO YOU.

Please don't assume to assume that it is relevant to me, I have no interest in in-browser or mobile device editions or ever will.

Sorry to be of no help.

[Hated Moron]

I have no interest in in-browser or mobile device editions or ever will.

I'd like to understand your reasons.

My view is that it's the mobile and browser editions of BBC BASIC that keep the language relevant in 2024. There are hundreds of different dialects of the BASIC programming language, indeed it seems a new one is announced almost every week. In that environment it's extremely difficult to 'stand out from the crowd': BBC BASIC has no unique features that would cause somebody to choose it over, say, PureBASIC or FreeBASIC or Liberty BASIC.

But the number of BASIC dialects which run on the full range of platforms that BBC BASIC does, and with the level of compatibility between platforms that BBC BASIC provides, is very small. In fact I know of only one other which claims a comparable degree of cross-platform functionality: PureBASIC / SpiderBasic (and even then they are promoted as two different languages, albeit with a lot in common).

Several BBC BASIC programs that I've written recently are ones which it is convenient to run without having a PC (even a laptop) available. I suppose the most obvious of those is the program I wrote to monitor and control our house storage battery; I do run that on my PC, but more commonly I run it on my Android phone which I always have with me.

I can understand that you might not currently have any programs that you would want to run on a mobile device or in a browser, but it puzzles me that you can be so confident that you won't ever want to do that in the future.

[STOS]

I'd like to understand your reasons.

Richard, I've been hesitant to give you an answer due to my previous experience on answering society regarding my feelings on the subject.
So basically without offending you or anyone else and alienating myself further, I shall just say that I have never had/needed/wanted a mobile phone or device. Let's just say it's personal feelings on such things and I have no doubt that my struggle with mental health all my life has had a contributing affect.

I can understand that you might not currently have any programs that you would want to run on a mobile device or in a browser, but it puzzles me that you can be so confident that you won't ever want to do that in the future.

I hope my first answer clears up the second question

[Hated Moron]

I have never had/needed/wanted a mobile phone or device.

I consider myself a 'late adopter' but I've had a smartphone for several years and I couldn't imagine life without one now (although I only very rarely use it for making or receiving telephone calls).

But this thread is specifically about the in-browser edition of BBC BASIC, not the mobile editions, and you clearly do use a browser!

[STOS]

But this thread is specifically about the in-browser edition of BBC BASIC, not the mobile editions, and you clearly do use a browser!

Sorry, I neglected to mention that...
A) My computer specs do not allow me to run in-browser versions, as anything WASM/WEBGL and many shader based stuff will crash my GPU or lock up my system. Laptop is about 14 years old and desktop pc is >20 years old. Even daily browser use can be like dodging a bullet with websites being graphically intensive; that's the good thing about forums as they are generally text focused.
B) Why would I need to run in-browser when I have/use a standalone versions.

[Hated Moron]

Why would I need to run in-browser when I have/use a standalone versions.

So you can make a BASIC program available for somebody else to run (e.g. a family member or a friend) just by sending them a link, even if they don't have a Windows PC.

[STOS]

So you can make a BASIC program available for somebody else to run (e.g. a family member or a friend) just by sending them a link, even if they don't have a Windows PC.

I anticipated this response and apart from physical family/friends being a myth to me, in that situation I would do one/more things (in no particular order)

• Posting the code directly to a forum such as this.
• Uploading to a service such as Dropbox/Google drive etc and providing a download link to the source code/executable/both.
• Email as an attchment

And (for their sake) I hope they don't have/have to use a Windows PC

[Hated Moron]

[*] Posting the code directly to a forum such as this.
[*] Uploading to a service such as Dropbox/Google drive etc and providing a download link to the source code/executable/both.
[*] Email as an attchment

None of which is any use unless they have a copy of BBC BASIC, on a suitable machine, and know how to use it.

A programming language is a tool to create applications with some practical use, and I don't consider it reasonable to expect the end-user(s) of such apps to have to know anything about programming themselves.

When Windows PCs were almost ubiquitous (and when malware wasn't the scourge it is now) it was perhaps acceptable to distribute an app in the form of a Windows executable. But now you can't assume that everybody has Windows, and you can expect any 'home compiled' executable to be flagged as suspicious by a virus scanner or security suite.

A web app is the most universal, most convenient and safest form in which you can make a program available for others to run.