Re: Which Programming Language

[zcaa1122@rpool9.rus.uni-stuttgart.de (Wulf Hofbauer)]

In article <42v1sn$jvn@er7.rutgers.edu>, Kid <neiderma@er7.rutgers.edu> wrote:
>I would like to see HyperC rise again to where it was a couple
>of years ago; Opix undergoing constant development, HGR/DHR tools
>being written, and some people actually knew how to make .SYS files
>with the package.  Now what do 8-bitters have for a free language
>option?

Hmmm... what's the problem? Opix is still being developed (though I never find
the time to write docs for a distributed version). HGR/DHGR access is still
working as it did. And creating SYS files is not that difficult, especially
since HyperC is the most transparent (and best documented) system I've ever seen.
Maybe the latter is the cause that not much is to be read about it on the net -
there are few questions without obvious answers. And if you have a question you don't
find the answer yourself, ask - that's what the net is for :).

OK, here's an offer: if there's someone willing to write the docs, I can distribute
a new Opix version. I'd give out most of the source code and would be willing to answer
technical questions for this purpose. I don't have much time over, alas, and writing
manuals in English isn't one of the easiest tasks for me.

If there is really interest in it, I may also provide a library to create stand-alone
applications (SYS files), though this may take some time to implement. I could
also imagine someone else doing it. Why not you? :) It is doable for anyone knowing
ProDOS, 6502 assembly, and having enough time left to explore the depths of the
HyperC system. Just try it.

As a side note, I think the HyperC system is also great for assembly language
programmers. I gave up Merlin for it, at last. Though it hasn't some tricky features
other assemblers provide, it is a full-blown assembler, generating relocatable
output, and it has all the tools (linker, librarian) to do serious development.
In combination with the C compiler, testing of assembly routines is a snap.
In addition, the overall environment is not as crippled as many all-in-one
editor/assembler packages. It's also quite easy to use once you've read the docs.
IMHO all this more than compensates for its relative slowness.

- Wulf

-- 
 ________________________________________________________
|                                                        |
| Wulf Hofbauer | wulf.hofbauer@studbox.uni-stuttgart.de |
|               | w.hofbauer@physik.uni-stuttgart.de     |