[Oberon] Some questions about BB evolution.

[Patrik Reali]

> From: "Yuri M. Skripkah"
> PR> our limited manpower to start forking the code in an Oberon an a
Bluebottle
> PR> version: currently most of the Oberon code is reused without change on
> PR> Bluebottle.
> I mean indefinite future, sure. My question is only about: Do You
> think, that multitasking will be useful in Oberon System on BB? And
> ability to export gadgets, for example, for all BB applications will
> be useful too?

I currently see no advantage in having multitasking in Oberon System 3 (but
I may be wrong). Oberon works well like this and multitasking would only
make it more complicate and slower.

Making Gadgets thread-safe is not easy. The main problem are the messages
among gadgets: the implementation is specific (optimized) for a
non-concurrent system, and changing this seems to be rather difficult.

> Or You think, ObSys3 must be developing environment with present behavior,
> and not need extend it more?

I would rather consider Oberon System 3 as a closed project. This means that
the code is stable and won't change in the future (but for bug fixes). ETH
or anybody interested in the project may decide otherwise, but I don't think
so.

> PR> Anyway, I think that Bluebottle is idea where the hardware is limited,
thus
> PR> in embedded systems or where the cost factor is important (more
hardware,
> PR> more cost).
> As I wrote, now limit is windows manager and display driver. WM is
> slow for poor CPU, and a lot of cheap old videocards work in 640x480x4
> ant 720x400 (text 80x25) and proprietary modes. It ignore linear
> buffer and VESA. Of course, it might work without video output at all.
> (as net server, for example

I was thinking along these lines too. As a server or embedded system without
display/

> PR>  The education segment, with its often limited budget is
> PR> definitively a target for Bluebottle (here Linux is a direct
concurrent).
> So Linux is more conventional, has drivers for very poor hardware, and
> cyrillic, it win in education in my country. I don't know anybody near,
who trying
> study programming with BB, like me.
>

Well, keep on doing a good job and people will notice.

Cheers,
  Patrik