Use only one IDE for all Parallax products, and sub-languages
Capt. Quirk
Posts: 872
There is a real need for a single or master IDE, with broad platform support from Parallax to support their products, customers, and forum member projects. A master IDE that supports plug-ins for gadgets, different languages, simulators, and the ability to customize, or create help, or support pages of all types. Or, if possible an open source project that Parallax maintains the lead role in developing.
A support forum for plug-ins beyond that of Parallax standard languages could be maintained by the project members that develop the plug-in. Parallax could supply a link in the OBEX to the plugin developers, so they can sell their projects. Others may want to keep their plug-ins private, or release it to the public in the OBEX. I see no reason the OBEX needs to be completely no-cost, as a customer supported OBEX, it could be a mixture of public and private (for sale) plug-ins. Parallax could set function and support criteria that a plug-ins must meet in a beta forum release before it is added to the OBEX.
Parallax could reserve the right to suspend a plug-ins release until the project has met forum beta testing goals or Parallax objections. Since forum participation tends to be cyclic, projects could recruit new members to keep a project or support alive. In the case a project goes inactive, it could be put in hibernation (away from public eyes) until project members revive it.
Over the last four years, the number of Propeller only languages has grown beyond anything I thought was possible. Although, proper support for all these scattered languages is impossible. With a master IDE, and the possibility of private financial reward for developing plug-ins for the OBEX. Parallax can steer private development parallel to its own goals of greater industry acceptance and maintain what makes Parallax different.
Bill M.
A support forum for plug-ins beyond that of Parallax standard languages could be maintained by the project members that develop the plug-in. Parallax could supply a link in the OBEX to the plugin developers, so they can sell their projects. Others may want to keep their plug-ins private, or release it to the public in the OBEX. I see no reason the OBEX needs to be completely no-cost, as a customer supported OBEX, it could be a mixture of public and private (for sale) plug-ins. Parallax could set function and support criteria that a plug-ins must meet in a beta forum release before it is added to the OBEX.
Parallax could reserve the right to suspend a plug-ins release until the project has met forum beta testing goals or Parallax objections. Since forum participation tends to be cyclic, projects could recruit new members to keep a project or support alive. In the case a project goes inactive, it could be put in hibernation (away from public eyes) until project members revive it.
Over the last four years, the number of Propeller only languages has grown beyond anything I thought was possible. Although, proper support for all these scattered languages is impossible. With a master IDE, and the possibility of private financial reward for developing plug-ins for the OBEX. Parallax can steer private development parallel to its own goals of greater industry acceptance and maintain what makes Parallax different.
Bill M.
Comments
-dan
The IDE is widely supported in all platforms (PC, Linux, Mac), takes the grunt work of the IDE off of Parallax, and would suck in all the Processing/Wiring users (e.g. Arduino) quite easily. The easy integration with Processing would also make it a snap to write desktop/latpop/mobile apps that play nicely with the embedded work (I'm sorry, but a user shouldn't have to commit to .NET or VisualBasic or Cocoa or Ruby or Python just to write an app that runs on the desktop that communicates with the embedded project -- Processing includes easy builds for 3-D simulators as well as low-level comms and everything in between).
The open source and FREE nature of these projects is also attractive.