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More Propeller Languages

HumanoidoHumanoido Posts: 5,770
edited 2012-08-06 13:01 in Propeller 1
Things have really changed since I was looking for hot languages and found two.
The Ultimate List of Propeller Languages is now updated and includes around 220
Propeller languages, versions, and variants. A Notes & Comments section is added
and the most recent language additions now appear at the bottom of the blog. The
Parallax Propeller chip possibly has more languages than any single computing
chip in the history of computing.

Comments

  • HumanoidoHumanoido Posts: 5,770
    edited 2012-07-27 00:20
    More languages are now added. The most recent is Dave Hein's TrimSpin.
    Dave has found a way to speed up the execution of Spin Language.
    TrimSpin is a subset version of Spin.
    Check out the all new updated list:

    Ultimate Big List of Propeller Languages.

    For any languages not on the list, please post the information here.
    2012 is a big year for new Propeller languages, apparently propelling the Propeller ahead of other chips in the number of available compatible languages.
  • HumanoidoHumanoido Posts: 5,770
    edited 2012-08-05 00:26
    The New Languages List
    The Ultimate List of Propeller Programming Languages now has more added entries reaching 229 Propeller languages and their variations.

    Multi Core Multi Chip Languages
    Thanks for all the contacts about new Propeller languages in development. We are looking for languages and variations that can run a program as a demonstration although updated snippets and information descriptions are welcome. There's a big push now on for new programming languages that take advantage of multi core and multi chip machines with various connection architecture.
  • kwinnkwinn Posts: 8,697
    edited 2012-08-05 11:36
    Humanoido have you considered submitting the Propeller to Guinness as the computer with the largest number of available languages ?
  • Heater.Heater. Posts: 21,230
    edited 2012-08-05 22:39
    kwinn,

    No point. I'm sure any machine running Linux has more languages available.
  • kwinnkwinn Posts: 8,697
    edited 2012-08-05 23:48
    Heater. wrote: »
    kwinn,

    No point. I'm sure any machine running Linux has more languages available.

    Yes, good point. Still, might be a record for a microcontroller. Although if you have to add external memory would it still be considered a micro controller ?
  • HumanoidoHumanoido Posts: 5,770
    edited 2012-08-06 00:44
    Heater. wrote: »
    kwinn, No point. I'm sure any machine running Linux has more languages available.
    Prove it. I want to see that list for one specific chip and each language it can run.
  • Heater.Heater. Posts: 21,230
    edited 2012-08-06 01:13
    Won't. Life is short enough already and I have a ton of other useless things to do before I leave this plannet:)

    As you know there are thousands of languages and implementations out there. People seem to have a passion for creating programming languages. For many of them source code is available that can be built on any unix like system.
    Then there are a lot of emulators of other computer architectures that can be built to run on unix like systems. Those emulators in turn give access to many languages and implmentations specific to the emulated architecture. Think Z80 emulation running CP/M and all its languages as just one example.

    Perhaps I can offer a kind of proof by induction:
    1. Let's say there are N language implementations that can be run on a Propeller.
    2. Let's say there are M language implementations available for Linux.
    3. There exists a Propeller emulator that runs on Linux.
    4. Therefore there are N+M languages that can be run on Linux.
    5. Therefore Linux has at least the same number of language implementations available as the Propeller.
    6. But it could be said that the Propeller emulator is itself a language implementation. The language being PASM instructions.
    7. Therefore Linux has more languages available than the Propeller.

    Of course this proof will break down if anyone gets Linux running on the Prop.

    Note: This argument is independent of whatever chip is running the Linux.
  • HumanoidoHumanoido Posts: 5,770
    edited 2012-08-06 02:31
    Heater - interesting analogy. Perhaps for better comparison, take away OS in all chips as suggested by kwinn.
  • Heater.Heater. Posts: 21,230
    edited 2012-08-06 02:39
    Ah. That makes it tougher.
    If we are going to insist on "microcontrollers" and no operating system then I might conclude we are talking a Prop without external memory and anything running under CP/M or other OS is excluded.
    That cuts down the Props language count quite a bit.
  • HumanoidoHumanoido Posts: 5,770
    edited 2012-08-06 03:32
    Heater. wrote: »
    Ah. That makes it tougher. If we are going to insist on "microcontrollers" and no operating system then I might conclude we are talking a Prop without external memory and anything running under CP/M or other OS is excluded. That cuts down the Props language count quite a bit.

    It puts the Propeller back in the lead as the microcontroller with the most languages.
    The Ultimate List of Propeller Languages
  • LoopyBytelooseLoopyByteloose Posts: 12,537
    edited 2012-08-06 07:39
    Not sure that having the most programing languages really is necessary or useful. Unix/Linux is certainly likely to lead that claim with an Intel chip as being the choice of silicon. But the reality is that a few good solid languages that adhere to good standards are going to put the Propeller way ahead of the game. That is where C, Basic, and Forth come into their glory.

    Why so? Many or most of those miscellanious languages don't sustain the rigorous support that mainstream users and new learners want. Between C and Assembly language, I suspect that a great majority of the users are quite happy. Assembly language is always required for special tweaks, and C has provided a huge corpus of examples of how to do things. It is almost equivalent to 'pseudo-code' for discussing software solutions in textbooks.

    What the Propeller needs most of all is to be usable and appreciated by a growing number of people. Just trying to find new superlatives is not going to achieve that. But functionality is doing something. The fact that the Propeller Manual has already been translated into both Russian and Simplified Chinese are tributes to the fact that this processor must not be ignored.

    Many of us are world weary of new languages when old ones are quite adequate. I gave up on SX/B and am proceeding ahead with learning to mimic PBasic in SX assembly with much less distraction. SX/B was making it more complex to learn to code the assembler.

    Nonetheless, having a list for the sake of overview is helpful.
  • prof_brainoprof_braino Posts: 4,313
    edited 2012-08-06 08:04
    Between C and Assembly language, I suspect that a great majority of the users are quite happy. ...

    Might be userful to remember to qualify this
    "Between C and Assembly language, I suspect that a great majority of C and Assembly users are quite happy."

    But most people are not C programmers; not everybody's brain is wired up such that C programming is fun or even sensible. The majority of folks find any programming language to be gibberish.
    What the Propeller needs most of all is to be usable and appreciated by a growing number of people.

    Software tends to lag hardware by significant time. Perhaps the language most suitable for regular folks has not been written yet. Or regular folks have not been wired correctly. Now THERE's a fun thought! :)
  • mindrobotsmindrobots Posts: 6,506
    edited 2012-08-06 08:15
    I'm tired of learning languages.....

    The only language I want to learn is "Synaptic" interfaced through my Universal Wireless Brainwave Interface. (I'd go for that "Matrix" adapter thing but I'm kinda squeamish about large electrical plugs going into my cerebral cortex....call me crazy!)
  • HumanoidoHumanoido Posts: 5,770
    edited 2012-08-06 11:59
    Perhaps the language most suitable for regular folks has not been written yet. Or regular folks have not been wired correctly. Now THERE's a fun thought! :)
    I find it interesting with all these programming languages, so few, if any, are written in the language that the majority of humans already speak. We should be able to talk to the chip and tell it what to do. Rather, it seems we must be controlled by the chip to conform to its highly syntactic standards and nuances. Exactly who or what is programming who or what?
  • HumanoidoHumanoido Posts: 5,770
    edited 2012-08-06 12:44
    Not sure that having the most programing languages really is necessary or useful.

    That holds true for some people. I can only speak for myself. Having the most programming languages is necessary and useful to me. Here are the top reasons why.

    1) I like to have a Propeller chip with as many retro languages as possible because I greatly enjoy exploring this nostalgic venue.

    2) I like having the greatest variety of languages possible because I love to explore the academics of programming languages.

    3) I find having the most languages necessary for projects because I enjoy mixing languages together.

    4) I like to see the most variety of many languages because I enjoy programming across several specific language classes such as "Tiny" or "Optical" or "Float" or "INT" or "Distributed Parallel" for examples.

    5) The largest number of languages is also useful when I want to develop specific machine emulation projects.

    6) Having a large list of available languages is useful when I have a program that I absolutely must run it, and it only fits one highly specific language.

    7) I'm a collector of programming languages for the Propeller chip, just as a coin collector collects coins.

    8) I love curating the Propeller chip language list which personally adds value for research and development.

    9) I want a large list so it can include ALL of my favorite languages.

    10) Many languages available make a project more successful to match it up with the most suitable language and version.

    11) Inspired by kwinn, we may go for the Guinness Record of having the most languages.

    I'm very happy with the Parallax Propeller chip because it serves all these interesting and useful programming language purposes so well. I hope many more old and new languages will continue to show up to facilitate these points.
  • kwinnkwinn Posts: 8,697
    edited 2012-08-06 13:01
    I have to agree with Loopy Byteloose's comment “Not sure that having the most programing languages really is necessary or useful.”. I suggested submitting it to Guinness so the propeller might be exposed to a broader audience if it should win.

    I am no more interested in learning “yet another programming language that does pretty much the same thing every other programming does” than the previous posts suggest you all do. The only ones I wouldn't mind seeing are the ones mindrobots and Humanoido mention in posts 14 and 15.

    For myself, learning to program in Spin and Pasm, and learning the Propeller hardware has been a most rewarding effort. The combination of Spin for higher level structures and PASM for speed and control over the hardware is an unbeatable combination.
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