Don't crunch built in apps

A very long time ago, there were a couple of good-ish reasons to crunch BASIC programmes: space was at a premium, and execution speed was at a premium. Nowadays, neither is true to any discernible extent.

There are two very good reasons not to crunch them, though:

• they serve as good teaching material;
• they are far easier to modify when not crunched, so we could get more people providing useful input.

So please, let’s distribute all the built-in BASIC apps in uncrunched source form!

I wholeheartedly agree.

Wouldn’t it be better to be an option?

Crunched in IOMD ROMs, not in the others, by default?

Crunched in IOMD ROMs, not in the others, by default?

If there is still a ROM space problem, I could support that idea. IOMD ROMs are not likely to be relevant to many people, and I’d suggest that those to whom it is relevant are less likely to learn and develop from the apps. It’s really the modern generation of hardware that could benefit.

let’s distribute all the built-in BASIC apps in uncrunched source form!

Reading the replies above, I think you mean so that the BASIC RunImages of apps are clearly readable in situ at the desktop. Does this mean (possibly selectively) removing the crunch process applied to castle/RiscOS/Sources/Apps/ and the like? In general, yes I agree that it’d be a good idea. Maybe this idea could also make bugfixes an easier target for some.

I think you mean so that the BASIC RunImages of apps are clearly readable in situ at the desktop.

Yes.

Does this mean (possibly selectively) removing the crunch process applied to castle/RiscOS/Sources/Apps/ and the like?

Yes.

Good idea! When I first got an Archimedes I relied upon some system apps being in readable BASIC to understand what was going on (there being no PRM at the time).