What languages does the DC support?

[iamscuzzo]

Does anyone know if the DC can run python, lua, ruby or any other languages other than C? Thanks

[Guaripolo]

the DC as *almost* any computer does NOT support other language (well instead that arm java proccessors and some old queue based processors that run ALGOL code) than machine code. All other languages are compiled/interpreted, so C in Dreamcast is compiled by the GCC or the Microsoft wince compiler.

(Sorry this is just a technical correction).

If your search is for other languages to be runned in DC, well, you have FENIX, LUA, FLASH (there's a web browser that can run FLASH 3), javascript (web browser). Also a lot of more compilers/interpreters can be PORTED to run in DC hardware. so you have:

- Machine Code
- Assembler
- C
- C++
- Lua
- Fenix
- Flash
- Javascript


I don't know if there's more compilers/interpreters, maybe some java code can be runned with a gcj port. Phyton? maybe.
Hope this answer your question. bye!

[Maturion]

Before you can run a language like Ruby or Python, you need an interpreter. Sadly there is no intrepreter for those languages for the Dreamcast. However, I think there is a Lua interpreter. (As stated above)

Of course you can run Assembler on the Dreacmast.

[BlueCrab]

This really doesn't belong in this particular forum so...

Moved to Programming Discussion

[sqrt(-1)+1]

DCLinux or NetBSD DC has all of the mentioned languages and a few other.

[kohan69]

There are also emulators, but that gets verrry messy.

[BlackAura]

Natively: SH-4 assembly, C (using GCC), C++ (using GCC again). That's it. In theory, any language supported by GCC might work (like Java), but you'd have to get the compiler working for the Dreamcast, and provide the required runtime libraries (written in C, most likely).

A version of Lua 4 is included in KOS. Lua 5 is known to work, and a couple of people around here have been using that in their projects. However, you can't write a complete game in Lua - you have to write some code in C to talk to the Dreamcast hardware, load the Lua scripts, and handle anything else that can't be done in Lua.

Someone (Scherzo?) ported a JavaScript interpreter. I think it was used internally by one project, but not independently.

Most scripting languages that only require a basic C runtime will work. I've had a couple of BASIC interpreters running pretty well, for example, although you couldn't really do anything useful with them. Stuff like Squirrel might work too.

Larger languages, like Python or Ruby, usually require a bit more than just a C runtime, or require far more resources than the Dreamcast has available. They're unlikely to work on a Dreamcast without a lot of effort, and even then, their standard libraries would likely be unavailable.

[sqz]

Guys,

I've succesfully ported (read 'just compiled') the monkey scripting language for DC KallistiOS.
Basically its lua with a C syntax (very easy readable).

Any idea who is handling contributions concerning KallistiOS? Dan Potter?

kind regards,

[BlueCrab]

The best way to get things out there to the DC world isn't necessarily to integrate it into KOS. Integrating it into KOS just makes it more of a pain for us KOS maintainers when things get updated.

My opinion is that the best thing to do is to upload it somewhere, and provide a link to it (you could even just upload it with a post here).

Oh, and I can handle contributions to KOS proper (to actually answer your question), but I'm not particularly interested in seeing anything new into the kos-ports tree right now (since all of what's there is horribly outdated, and needs to be updated).

[Stryfe]

Just as examples for him to check out, "NesterDC SE" by Scherzo is what he implemented the JavaScript into wasn't it?

And of course, "DcPlaya" was the one app I could think of that uses Lua.

[BlackAura]

Just as examples for him to check out, "NesterDC SE" by Scherzo is what he implemented the JavaScript into wasn't it?

Yep. I believe it was a port of JavaScriptCore from Safari. Ancient by now, of course.

[sqz]

hehe, I can understand.
KOS is contains a shitload of shitload...its huge already!
Every contribution on top of the shitload means more testing of shitload

Maybe I should just start a topic with 'monkey script works on KOS!' and an link + example.
Adding it to KOS would only prove monkey script is full portable ANSI c/c++