Programming languages

Which programming languages are available for RISC OS? Although outdated, a starting point could be this list though I’m sure it is missing a few.

Traditionally, I can think of these:

• Ada
• BASIC
• C
• C++
• Charm
• Forth
• Fortran
• Icon
• Java
• Lua
• ML
• Pascal
• Perl
• Prolog
• Python
• Scheme
• Smalltalk
• TCL

Apart from BASIC, C, Lua and Python, which of these have recently updated implementations? Which other languages could be added to the list?

BCPL, but it’s distinctly 26-bit (from 1988)

@ David

I have created a working Forth interactive compiler for RISC OS 5, it’s still in alpha stage and missing disc I/O, but the runtime environment is working.

I also have ported a Prolog compiler and the bytecode VM interpreter. Still quite few bugs to take care of before initial alpha release for people to test it.

I also started (but it’s in the very early days) an XLips port effort and a C-like scripting engine interpreter, also this one in very early stages. I am mentioning them because the C script engine can already interpret simple scripts and uses variables and the XLisp so far is compiling most of the sources, but it needs few more patches.

hopefully I’ll have enough time during the Christmas break to complete them, all the above full 32bit and written in C (so ready for new ISA), The Forth compiler also supports 64bit cells already.

Is there any documentation for 26-bit BCPL? Which other 8-bit Acornsoft languages made it onto the ARM?

Although outdated, a starting point could be this list though I’m sure it is missing a few.

As you say, “outdated”
It was also lacking in accuracy when it was written since it does a good job of ignoring anything associated with Castle and where it can’t it leaves out the link to the resource.

A list combining the useful (have active links) items from both lists ought to be a page in the ROOL wiki.
Clearly mark the items that are 26 bit or generally in need of maintenance and people can pick a personal project to fill time for christmas/new year/next lockdown¹/ extended time off²

¹ Read the projections folks, February looks like “fun”

Nothing was carried forward directly from Acornsoft Languages to the ARM (and then released) as far as I remember.

I did a port of Acornsoft ISO-Pascal to the 65816 for the Communicator, and then to ARM1 to run on ARM 2p, interpreted at first and then a byte code translator from that to ARM binary. Thankfully never released!

ARM BCPL lives on a couple of floppies here. Probably nowhere else.

We (Acornsoft Languages) had been doing a port of Logo, which was written in BCPL, in early 1986 before being called to other tasks…

So AFAIR there is a port of the ISO-Pascal (AcornSoft) to RISC OS 2 and 3.

It should be owned by ROOL/Castle/ROD, but I think when Castle took DDE it was left off and so it’s just a 26bit version not owned by anybody or still owned by previous owners.

I can check in my archive of programming languages for my archimedes if needed, but on that ISO-Pascal there is the rights issue that should be solved first…

Also note that the ISO-Pascal should also support compiling with ASDTF, so ISO-Pascal binaries can be debugged in DDT :)

It wouldn’t have been an Acornsoft ISO-Pascal. The languages shipped with the ARM development systems were bought in.

Acornsoft Logo did get released though. I remember the floor turtle.

Acornsoft Logo – yes, for the BBC Micro.

Gofer

Presumably one of the browsers supports JavaScript now?

BCPL will have come from the Cambridge Computer Lab, with ARM code gen and libraries from the silver building.

It was certainly still running on RISC OS in late 1988.

Perhaps I should send it the way of the software preservation project while the floppies are still readable.

Yes Stuart is correct, I have checked (also old emails etc…)

So the ISO-Pascal was for the DDE, but it was not made by Acorn (I think it was made by BEEBUG????), anyway initial demoish release was called !PC, later “stable” was renamed !Pascal.

It requires an installed copy of DDE and if the user has Acorn ANSI C 4 then a newer version of stubs was provided to support the ISO-Pascal.

Also note that the ISO-Pascal “stable” comes with the entire RISCOSLib so it appears to be capable of creating Desktop Applications etc…

It seems to support also IRQs on top of the SWIs.

Perhaps I should send it the way of the software preservation project while the floppies are still readable.

Please do! I’m sure they will be very interested to see it.

As to Pascal, there was also the Norcroft Pascal compiler that was available on various FTP sites. What was the origin of that?

As to Pascal, there was also the Norcroft Pascal compiler that was available on various FTP sites. What was the origin of that?

Well the link off the link you gave at the start has it on HENSA so odds are that a site (Wayback) probably has a copy…

I meant more along the lines of the question: What was the origin inside Acorn of the Norcroft Pascal compiler? Also, what was the motivation behind releasing it if it would potentially compete with a full ISO Pascal product?

The Wayback Machine has the DDE Pascal archive and a limited list of languages but I can’t find Norcroft Pascal there. I seem to remember that it might have been grouped with toolchain-related tools, perhaps in the aof directory.

I dug around in some old disk images and found a copy, but not the original archive:

Norcroft RISC OS ARM Pascal vsn 4.10 [Jan 11 1993]

Well the link off the link you gave at the start has it on HENSA so odds are that a site (Wayback) probably has a copy…

Couldn’t resist having a dig around

https://web.archive.org/web/20070320222411/http://www.mirrorservice.org/sites/ftp.uni-stuttgart.de/pub/systems/acorn/riscos/CONTENTS

I think one of our German regulars mentioned someone having a copy of the Stuttgart archive

Edit Crossed in the post

As to Pascal, there was also the Norcroft Pascal compiler that was available on various FTP sites. What was the origin of that?

Well the link off the link you gave at the start has it on HENSA so odds are that a site (Wayback) probably has a copy…

Yes this is the ISO-Pascal I described above.

Latest known version to me is/was Pascal Compiler front end is release 4.09 © Acorn Computers Ltd, 1992

Pascal compiler release is Norcroft RISC OS ARM Pascal vsn 4.10 (Jan 11 1993)

It was capable of compiling ISO Level 1 Pascal and it was for the Acorn DDE, it also had a full RISCOSLib distributed with it and a special stubs to be used with Norcroft C in the Acorn ANSI C release 4.

Hope this helps

For the copy I have all the releases ever made public if anyone is interested. If they were on Stuttgart then probably we can exchange them freely

Arcade BBS also had a copy of Norcroft Pascal, but that’s now offline and the Wayback Machine doesn’t have the archive. However, I found a copy of it in the ADPL archive.

It’s funny that I only really remember the executable and the disclaimer:

The DDE Norcroft Pascal Compiler is supplied as is. All information of a
technical nature and particulars of the product and its use are given in
good faith. Acorn Computers Limited cannot accept any liability for any
loss or damage arising from the use of any information or particulars.

The DDE Norcroft Pascal Compiler is not an official Acorn product. No
technical suppoft of any form can be given by Acorn or any of its dealers
regarding the DDE Norcroft Pascal Compiler.

Maybe I just deleted all the non-command-line stuff in my copy.

APDL also has a BCPL disk that might be buildable with AMU. Is that the same as the one you have, Stuart? The README file ends with this:

As far as I’m concerned, you can do whatever you want with this.

Harry

APDL also has a BCPL disk that might be buildable with AMU

It’s more modern than mine!

For the copy I have all the releases ever made public if anyone is interested. If they were on Stuttgart then probably we can exchange them freely

and

Arcade BBS also had a copy of Norcroft Pascal, but that’s now offline and the Wayback Machine doesn’t have the archive. However, I found a copy of it in the ADPL archive.

and

APDL also has a BCPL disk that might be buildable with AMU.

Can I suggest that, since the aim here appears to be a combination of preservation and restoration and even update, everyone who has something useful puts it (subject to IPR) into a new archiving location?

Source to be updated or marked as needing work and people encouraged to spend a little of the free time they have in making it all useful.

Perhaps David Fuegey could provide the webspace and a front page?

Can I suggest that, since the aim here appears to be a combination of preservation and restoration and even update, everyone who has something useful puts it (subject to IPR) into a new archiving location?

Sure, I am good with whatever location guys, I don’t mind as long as it doesn’t takes me like a day to figure out how to upload there :D

Can I suggest that, since the aim here appears to be a combination of preservation and restoration and even update, everyone who has something useful puts it (subject to IPR) into a new archiving location?

I thought that was the point of the Software Preservation Project being discussed at the London Show? And that they were already on to the archive storage (which wasn’t publicly accessible, precisely because of the IPR point)?

I have space to do this…