Programming On The Pandora For Mortals

[valhalla]

"The open-source Arduino environment makes it easy to write code and upload it to the i/o board. It runs on Windows, Mac OS X, and Linux. The environment is written in Java and based on Processing, avr-gcc, and other open source software. "

the arduino package includes some customized binary and letting it run even on amd_64 is not trivial; a port to pandora is interesting and probably feasible, but not just "drop a jar and it works"-trivial.

Also, the idea to cross compile a cross compiler worries me a bit, but that's nothing that can't be worked with or around.

I've just checked: its USB serial adapter is just full speed and would require an hub (or adapter) to be connected to pandora.

or what you are referring?

The arduino environment includes a few additional specific libraries

the great thing about the arduino is that it is dead easy, even for hardware-challenged software people like me It doesn't require additional hardware and is cheap enough

 

[MDave]

. One could of course convert an AWT user interface written in Java into Javascript, but oh well, that's a different story all together.

So... you were saying MDave?

PS: Yeah, I had a bad day yesterday so my tolerance for smart-ass remarks (and failed ones at that) is quite close to being non-existant. So bear with me.


OK, right here:

<snipped>

Because when I started learning C, I wanted to figure out how to do some of the stuff that was incredibly easy to do in Javascript. I got quite mucked up with function pointers, once I realized that I had to add lots of **'s and type out the entire parameter list multiple times.

Pages like this made me cringe!

 

[rabidpoobear]

QUOTE
MDave: HEY WOJTEK KANALIA
MDave: INSULT
Wojtek Kanalia: RETORT
MDave: COUNTER-RETORT
Wojtek Kanalia: QUESTIONING OF SEXUAL PREFERENCE
MDave: SUGGESTION TO SHUT THE **** UP
Wojtek Kanalia: NOTATION THAT YOU CREATE A VACUUM
MDave: RIPOSTE
MDave: ADDON RIPOSTE
Wojtek Kanalia: COUNTER-RIPOSTE
MDave: COUNTER-COUNTER RIPOSTE
Wojtek Kanalia: NONSENSICAL STATEMENT INVOLVING PLANKTON
Rabidpoobear: RESPONSE TO RANDOM STATEMENT AND THREAT TO BAN OPPOSING SIDES
Wojtek Kanalia: WORDS OF PRAISE FOR FISHFOOD
Rabidpoobear: ACKNOWLEDGEMENT AND ACCEPTENCE OF TERMS

 

[iprice]

This is the best example of a Polymorph that I could find -

 

[rabidpoobear]

This is the best example of a Polymorph that I could find -

... snip picture ...



hahahahahaha.....!
What exactly is going on in that picture?

 

[iprice]

Dwayne Dibley (the Cat) is holding a Polymorph that has just transformed from a Thermos flask. Dwayne picked up the flask, thinking he'd dropped his - not realising that he was already holding it.

All courtesy of Red Dwarf

 

[urjaman]

"The open-source Arduino environment makes it easy to write code and upload it to the i/o board. It runs on Windows, Mac OS X, and Linux. The environment is written in Java and based on Processing, avr-gcc, and other open source software. "

the arduino package includes some customized binary and letting it run even on amd_64 is not trivial; a port to pandora is interesting and probably feasible, but not just "drop a jar and it works"-trivial.

"The Arduino software distribution includes a couple of pre-compiled binaries that may not work on 64-bit systems:

* RXTX (Java communication library)
* avrdude (for uploading programs to an Arduino board) "

I dont know of RXTX - avrdude shouldnt be a big problem - but OTOH i havent compiled that on non-x86 before so i cant say for sure.

Also, the idea to cross compile a cross compiler worries me a bit, but that's nothing that can't be worked with or around.

Thats would be a canadian cross (haven't actually done that, but gcc should support that) - but i was thinking of compiling the cross-compiler on the pandora, though.

to be connected to pandora.

So i thought, but not a big problem.

"The Arduino programming language is an implementation of Wiring, a similar physical computing platform, which is based on the Processing multimedia programming environment. "
You said "which is C based" did you mean that you're just going to program the boards with bare C (avr-gcc"] or what you are referring?

The arduino environment includes a few additional specific libraries[/quote]

It doesn't require additional hardware and is cheap enough

I have some thing with arduinos propably because everytime i speak of some of my AVR boards, somebody will go "is that an arduino", you know, it gets stressing on time, to the same style as people asking if the pandora can run windows.
I have 2 PB8515's , one ATmega168 prototyping board with some stuff soldered on, and three self-made boards (2 for ATtiny26 (though i only have one of these MCUs...), one for ATtiny85) - none of these is an arduino, btw
(Sorry of those two links being to finnish sites,i gave them mostly for the pictures)

Oh and btw, why on http://arduino.cc/en/Tutorial/Button they dont use the AVR native pullups (you know, AVR's can enable pullups on their pins on demand)?

Sorry for this post being a bit offtopic - but it's about programming on the pandora, just not for the pandora

 

[younghifi]

Now we've got essentially a few threads packed into one

MDave:
Now I really don't know which language he meant exactly. Java/AWT/Swing is mentioned in the casting problem post. Javascript and C in the follow up (which seems kinda unrelated to the Rectangle typecasting problem post). Let's wait for Kramy and see what he tells us

 

[viridior]

. Let's wait for Kramy and see what he tells us

Does that mean this is a draw between you two. Or just a momentary pause? I wonder what would happen if you both agreed...

 

[younghifi]

viridior:
More likely a pause. Kramy will be THE MIGHTY DECIDOR, if he tells us what he actually meant
Either way, I'm only in this for the fun

 

[Kramy]

. Let's wait for Kramy and see what he tells us

Whoops! Looks like I caused the thread to explode! :lol:

I split them into separate posts because they were unrelated to each other. Like many devs here, I know multiple languages, including (but not limited to) both Java and Javascript. I try to be specific to avoid confusion, but...err...apparently it didn't work. :lol:

I like Javascript's syntax a lot, but I knew I'd have to learn a language a bit more low level to create some 2D games. When I realized how finicky C syntax was, and how much of a pain it'd be to cross-compile for Linux/OSX for the first time... I opted for a slightly less complex language - although clearly Java has its own quirks too.

But hey, at least I don't have to deal with null terminated strings or manual deletion. (though I do often null stuff out when it isn't required anymore)

 

[dflemstr]

Now I really don't know which language he meant exactly. Java/AWT/Swing is mentioned in the casting problem post. Javascript and C in the follow up (which seems kinda unrelated to the Rectangle typecasting problem post"]. Let's wait for Kramy and see what he tells us

Whoops! Looks like I caused the thread to explode! :lol: [/quote]I split them into separate posts because they were unrelated to each other. Like many devs here, I know multiple languages, including (but not limited to) both Java and Javascript. I try to be specific to avoid confusion, but...err...apparently it didn't work. :lol:

I like Javascript's syntax a lot, but I knew I'd have to learn a language a bit more low level to create some 2D games. When I realized how finicky C syntax was, and how much of a pain it'd be to cross-compile for Linux/OSX for the first time... I opted for a slightly less complex language - although clearly Java has its own quirks too.

But hey, at least I don't have to deal with null terminated strings or manual deletion. (though I do often null stuff out when it isn't required anymore)

Try Scala. Really, do it. Take the step. You will never look at Java ever again All the bonuses of Java/Python/OCaml/erlang while removing all the pitfalls. And it's a JVM language, so you can use all of Javas libs seamlessly. What do you have to lose?

 

[Sandman]

I'm a bit late, but...
QUOTE (may88)
I was aware that Bennu had risen from Fenix's ashes. The whole break up and lack of English documents rather put me off. As my spare-time coding comes in little periods of enthusiasum so fenix was lost to me. Others however have done great things with it

Aye, lack of documentation was a big problem for Fenix. Bennu has a wiki though, which is almost a complete reference. And if you can't get something to work, pop 'round in #bennu on irc.devhat.net and we'll see what we can do.

Be sure Bennu will come to the Pandora.

 

[younghifi]

Kramy:
So it was Java, I knew it

As for C, well yeah it does have some drawbacks that need the programmers attention, but in the long-run I think it's more worthwhile to develop games in C/C++ than in Java. Especially if you want to see those games on the Pandora later on . After you take the first big steps, the whole C experience transforms into an escalator, trust me on that .

Scala seems nice, but it's still kinda unpopular, why is that? Kinda like D ?

 

[dflemstr]

Kramy:
So it was Java, I knew it

As for C, well yeah it does have some drawbacks that need the programmers attention, but in the long-run I think it's more worthwhile to develop games in C/C++ than in Java. Especially if you want to see those games on the Pandora later on . After you take the first big steps, the whole C experience transforms into an escalator, trust me on that .

Scala seems nice, but it's still kinda unpopular, why is that? Kinda like D ?

Doesn't matter if it's unpopular, because it can be used anywhere where Java is used, without the need to write wrappers or similar: it's a JVM language.
And it's gaining popularity rapidly; the kind of popularity Python gained when it first was introduced (Scala has only been around "for real" since ~2007)

 

[may88]

Not at all. As I said I'd love to be able to use the arduino with pandora and the scope for project using the two in combination is far greater than my imagination.

Either way, I'm only in this for the fun

Look I only ask the questions. I never promised to understand the answers.

Thanks all for your contributions.

 

[Mr.Confuzed]

Check out XL:
http://xlr.sourceforge.net/

It's great in concept. I found it really quite difficult to get up and running with Cygwin, though... and I had to modify the hello world program before it would work ... but It's the most readable and advanced language I've come across. You can tell some serious thought was put into the design.