[REBOL] Re: Embedded REBOL (Re: Population of PDA Users)
From: chrismorency:videotron:ca at: 11-Apr-2001 19:29
Hi all!
Actually, the RAM hardware the heap is in is no faster than
the rest of the RAM. The reason it is 32k is because it is
accessed using a 16-bit signed offset pointer. Other RAM
needs a change of base pointer in addition to the offset,
an operation that takes slightly longer. Palm OS is 16-bit,
like MS-DOS. The speed difference is similar to that between
.com and .exe programs on DOS.
I'm not sure, but I guess a good PalmPilot programmer could be able to pull
this off... I might even know someone who'd be interested...
Palm OS is pretty generous by embedded standards. REBOL just
isn't structured by embedded standards. And yes, REBOL would
need some minor rewriting to really fly on Palm OS, WinCE or
in any other environment that is not based on the slow-disk,
large-heap pattern. Palm OS and WinCE are based on a small-
heap, in-memory database pattern. WinCE has a potentially
larger heap (32-bit addressing) but can have a heap that is
too small for traditional REBOL, as I think it does with the
HP Jornada 620 when its RAM hasn't been updated.
I personnally tried rebol (as opposed to use or abuse ;-) on three WindowsCE
platforms, and it ran really good... Is there any benchmark script ? I'd
like to see how it can manage with objects...
>Till then I will keep on using Satellite Forms, which I am skepticle is
>more productive than C since I spend sooooo much time dealing with thier
>interpeter's bugs. For now I can only hope Carl gets a PDA itch,
I did a multi-platform porting/recoding of a PalmOS application originally
written in CodeWarrior for Windows/WindowsCE/PalmOS using VB, eMbedded
Visual Basic and AppForge (VB for PalmOS) with a database being accessed
either through ADO/ADOCE/AppForge PDB Library with a Conduit written in VB
that was synchronising data using ODBC and building the MDB, CDB and PDB
databases at once... overall, I reuse 90% of the code in all version (only
byref object type where modified and the database access !). If Rebol/View
existed on all three platforms, I'm sure we would have used it ! And could
still use the scripts online to do the same !!! Rebol is a refreshing look
in programming I'd like to see more in PDA and Mobile units...
Last time I looked at Satellite Forms, the license fee was way overrated !
Chris
