Installing Development Applications On Pandora


CCJ

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Hi all,

I've been looking around at handheld devices for awhile because I recently came across the program Game Editor and the programming language GLBasic which can develop games for mobile devices. I really like the look of the Pandora, and I have a few questions for those in the know: first, GE and GLBasic can compile games to run on Linux-- does this automatically include a mobile device running Linux, or is the version of Linux used by Pandora specialized somehow? Secondly, Game Editor can be used on a Linux platform, so would it be feasible to install it on the Pandora so I could use it to develop on the go?

Thanks,

JC
 
Yes, the Pandora uses an ARM processor instead of the x86 found in most laptops and desktops, so the Linux is "special". However, open-source stuff that's already on x86 Linux should be pretty easy to port, someone will just need to rewrite the OpenGL stuff to use OpenGL ES, the mobile version.
 
It's a little deeper than that. GLBasic appears to be closed source, so the editor itself can't be ported anywhere. It can create linux executables. They may or may not run on the Pandora depending on what libraries they need, and whether they access the 3D hardware. I doubt they are GL/ES aware, but since the WIZ is target it just might. The 2D games should run fine since they appear to use SDL.

Game Editor is opensource and should port nicely, and doesn't appear to do 3D anything, so it and it's tools should run.
 
Well, GLBasic is probably out then, unless we can talk the owners into porting it themselves or letting one of us port it. Which would still be a lot of effort.
 
mindlord said:
It's a little deeper than that. GLBasic appears to be closed source, so the editor itself can't be ported anywhere. It can create linux executables. They may or may not run on the Pandora depending on what libraries they need, and whether they access the 3D hardware. I doubt they are GL/ES aware, but since the WIZ is target it just might. The 2D games should run fine since they appear to use SDL.

Game Editor is opensource and should port nicely, and doesn't appear to do 3D anything, so it and it's tools should run.

They won't work unless it generates a HUGE script which is going to be interpreted. It will most likely compile or combine source and interpreter for x86 and that is not going to work on the ARM cpu in the Pandora.
//Edit: Might work seeing that it can create wiz (also ARM) executables according to your post.
 
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It also shows that the owners of the software care about homebrew on open handhelds, and the Pandora might become an official compile target later.

edit: You edit ninja'd me. :)
 
JayFoxRox said:
mindlord said:
It's a little deeper than that. GLBasic appears to be closed source, so the editor itself can't be ported anywhere. It can create linux executables. They may or may not run on the Pandora depending on what libraries they need, and whether they access the 3D hardware. I doubt they are GL/ES aware, but since the WIZ is target it just might. The 2D games should run fine since they appear to use SDL.

Game Editor is opensource and should port nicely, and doesn't appear to do 3D anything, so it and it's tools should run.

They won't work unless it generates a HUGE script which is going to be interpreted. It will most likely compile or combine source and interpreter for x86 and that is not going to work on the ARM cpu in the Pandora.
//Edit: Might work seeing that it can create wiz (also ARM) executables according to your post.

JayFoxRox,
Are you referring to both GE and GLBasic when you suggest there is only a chance of portability? I'm mostly concerned with GE since part of its dev. process is WYSIWYG and therefore more non/quite small-keyboard friendly :)
 
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Fingers crossed then, A portable GUI game creator, for game making on the go, would be a massive plus IMHO. Would also mean us mere mortals, who can't use a scripting language could try and contribute.
 
CCJ: Sorry for being a bit unclear. I was referringto GLBasic which is closed source. Anything which is open source can be modified (if the license permits it) to run on the pandora (even if it is stripping it down to a minimum and rebuilding it from ground up - the information is there!)
 
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