I know that the plan is to use some version of BASIC for LCOS software, but given the speed and power advantages, shouldn’t the project write its own software in fast and efficient languages like C? I mean, isn’t the quality of the output more important than a little nostalgia for a serious project?
If LCOS writes simple, small, yet powerful software in C its code will be more performant and power efficient than what other distributions ship, giving it a clear technical advantage.
As a compromise maybe include a BASIC in the default installation for the user to write their own small programs in.
Depends on whether speed is critical. It’s not unreasonable to use slower, higher level languages that are easier to write in places where it doesn’t have a noticeable effect on user experience.
When is something fast enough? I take the position that fast enough is when the computer completes whatever task commanded by the user (perceivably) instantaneously. If software behaves instantaneously, then there is no need to consider further performance improvements.
And then, having defined fast enough: fast enough on which computer? LCOS will run on PCs. The PC platform isn’t a single hardware specification but a wide range of different computers with wildly varying performance characteristics.
Unless and until the software runs fast enough on all supported machines, prioritizing performance should take precedence over nostalgia or any aesthetic concern.
I’d also like to offer this perspective: Python is 70x+ slower than C. Think about that in terms of hardware. How many years of hardware improvements is a user losing by running code written in a language like Python? They have 2024 hardware perhaps, but their performance is that of hardware more than a decade old. Users deserve better from programmers than that. Heck, hardware people deserve better than to have their hard work squandered.
It’s the classic tradeoff between developer productivity and some micro-benchmark performance. I’m not going to lose sleep over what language other people program in, but I would simply point out that the single biggest problem most free software projects suffer from is developer time.
That’s a strange thing to say, unless I don’t follow you. Debian packages software from upstream regardless of what language is used. Are you referring to what apt is written in? The installers?
Edit: More to the point I suppose, what is LCOS going to actually write? As in new software. I wish Lunduke would come forward and give us more information.
You say, “LCOS Should be written in C”. I Say, “LCOS will be written in whatever the Debian and Devuan are written in because LCOS is derived from those distributions”, then you say that’s a strange thing to say.
Read what I wrote again. I said LCOS should write in C, not that LCOS should be written in C. As in the new software that the LCOS team writes should be written in C.
A distribution isn’t a single piece of software, but a collection of software. Debian packages are not written in a single language, not even the base installation, so saying “whatever Debian is written in” is nonsensical. I also clarified in my response to you that I was talking about new software written by LCOS.
If LCOS writes a new desktop environment, for instance, it being a greenfield project, LCOS will choose what to write in.
Lunduke previously mentioned wanting to write new software for LCOS in a specific OOP BASIC dialect. Knowing how slow BASIC usually performs, I’m saying “Hey, let’s write that software in C instead”.
If LCOS were a distro done by a corporation, then they could hire only coders that write in C. That is not the case here. This will be done by volunteers. You take what you get. It is what it is.
Greg man, you are better than this. I don’t think encw was trying to mess with you or anger you. This is just a discussion.
I agree with what you are saying though Greg. Ultimately it doesn’t matter, because there is no way to make it so that one has to use BASIC on LCOS to develop new software. I mean it will be no different than what is possible on any of the other linux distros currently.