Tell us which programming language videos we should prioritise!

To everyone interested,
I’ve got some PTO coming up and so (finally) I’ll have some time to dive into our video backlog.

Could you spare a moment to let me know which videos you’d like to see first? Your input is invaluable! Cast your vote in our poll here:

https://www.youtube.com/@RiscosCommunityOnGithub/community

Feel free to drop your suggestions here or on our YouTube channel – every vote and idea counts! Without your input, brace yourselves for an impromptu series on “Continental Philosophy” (presented by Sprow)! 😉

Thanks for all the feedback! :)

This response will probably get overlooked in the tsunami of responses but just in case it gets through I would like to bang the drum for Python. It is improving all the time but it seems very few people are using it. There are several reasons for this, but one is a shortage of RISC OS end user documentation and examples. The harvest truly is plentious but the labourers are few.

I don’t use YouTube for programming learning. But the more ways for getting people interested in programming for RISC os the better.

This response will probably get overlooked in the tsunami of responses but just in case it gets through I would like to bang the drum for Python. It is improving all the time but it seems very few people are using it.

Thanks for your feedback John! Thankfully, most feedback was expressed via the Poll on youtube, which helps to organise results quickly, few others were expressed through various comments/posts on the multiple socials and a bunch via email.

Your requests for Python are noted and, IMHO, you’re right, it’s clear that the adoption of Python (and RiscLua) has been slower than expected, primarily due to limited documentation and practical examples. This reminds us of how many learned BBC BASIC in the past—through detailed articles and hands-on tutorials in magazines (type-in etc.), not just reference guides. Indeed, comprehensive and example-rich documentation/tutorials are key to encouraging people to embrace new programming languages.

Regarding the poll results so far, it appears that ARM Assembly is currently in the lead. This may be because people are more interested in understanding the RISC OS sources rather than actively writing applications (especially in Assembly, as was common in the 80s and 90s).

As a side note for everyone: it’s important to note that developing applications in Assembly in 2023 is quite challenging (I would argue almost a dead end!). Modern users expect a range of features that can be time-consuming to implement in Assembly. ASM requires extensive testing on multiple RISC OS devices to ensure code runs smoothly everywhere. As such, those who choose this path should be prepared for potential setbacks and extended periods of development and refactoring.

Once again, thank you everyone for your contribution to this discussion. Your feedback is invaluable in shaping our approach and understanding community needs for the next tutorials!

the more ways for getting people interested in programming for RISC os the better.

Indeed! :)

Another area which could do with a refresh is connectivity with non-RISC OS machines. this is important for anyone who wants to develop software ON RISC OS, as opposed to developing on say Linux for RISC OS.
There used to be several guides on how to connect RISC OS with mainstream OSes.
These are largely out of date now. Security has tightened up in the OtherWorldOSes and methods that used to work no longer do so.
To take a current example. I am trying to integrate Git and GitHub into my development process on an ARMX6. I am comfortable with Git have no problem with using GitHub or GitLab. The problem is that the local/remote bridge is broken. I cannot Push to remote from RISC OS. This is fundamental and is illustrated by the excellent YouTube video “Coding on RISC OS via TortoiseGit on Windows”.

Thanks again John!

Yes and more security measures will be added as more security issues gets discovered. So, while ROOL and ROD tries to address the modernisation of the network stack and the file-sharing clients, here is a guide that allows to solve the problem with older devices and RISC OS 5 (until more modern protocols get implemented):

https://paolozaino.wordpress.com/2023/03/07/retrocomputing-how-to-build-a-raspberry-pi-server-to-share-files-with-retro-or-vintage-systems-and-modern-platforms-part-1/

It’s a bit of work, but I think at some point I’ll make a Raspberry Pi focused Linux distro available that has everything already configured.

On a side note, macOS sonoma NFS works fine with RISC OS and !OmniClient (instructions shared in another thread). Will certainly make a video to help folks seeing how to configure this.

This is fundamental and is illustrated by the excellent YouTube video “Coding on RISC OS via TortoiseGit on Windows”.

;)