OSLib 6.11 Released

[David J. Ruck]

On 25 Sep 2000 Chris Rutter <chris at willow.armlinux.org> wrote:
> On Mon, 25 Sep 2000, David J.Ruck wrote:
> 
>> This has caused considerable hassle for those of use who are building RISC
>> OS applications on other platorms (either to use superior debugging tools
>> or to build with cross compilers which aren't currently available for RISC
>> OS).
> 
> This mystifies me a bit.
> 
> Debugging tools from other platforms are generally very little use if,
> at the end of the day, you still have to emit AOF-derived AIF.  Debugging
> tools tend to be active in requiring the active target platform, and
> thus gdb and friends aren't an option.

I've developed quite a few command line untilities destined for RISC OS
primarily on other platforms for easy of debugging, but also beacuse I
dont always have access to a RISC OS machine when working away from home
(hopefully a Risc Satation portable will cure this).

Projects developed in this way include my latest, DiscKnight (E & E+ format
FileCore disc fixer). They are programs are linked with the standard OSLib on
RISC OS, but on other platforms I've used the OSLib headers with a limited
port of the functionality I need in C. In the case of DiscKnight this was
only the osfile/osfind/osgbgp calls and a couple of odds and ends.

> Cross-compiling large RISC OS tools with any success has only ever really
> been done on RISCiX that I've ever heard; and this was mainly so that
> CVS could be used easily.
>
> There is Nick Burrett's work on getting gcc 2.95.x to run as a RISC OS
> cross-compiler on POSIX platforms, but I don't see the huge benefit in
> that over the native port for the majority of applications.

Think of ARM's tools which are now available of every platform except RISC
OS.

All three reasons:-

1) no decent debugger
2) no portable machine
3) no port of the best compiler

really do show the sorry state of the RISC OS market, makes me wonder why I
continue to bother, it would be so much easier to develop for Linux. Therefor
anything the OSLib maintainers can do to make my life easier, would not only
be appreciated, but also might keep me developing for this platform.

Cheers
---Dave

-- 
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  David J. Ruck    Phone: +44- (0)7974 108301    Email: druck at freeuk.com
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