Thread: Choosing a development platform

  1. #1
    Matt Conway bobthebullet990's Avatar
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    Choosing a development platform

    Hi everyone! ...I was wandering if anyone can make any points other than the following regarding factors related to choosing a platform for your application!

    - Execution speed [essential for real-time constraints]
    - Development skills in the selected platform
    - The functionality of the available development libraries

    Reasons such as "to suit your application" are not really what I'm looking for - more detailed reasoning as to why a language would be suitable! - i.e. the factors that you consider when choosing a platform.

    Thanks!
    Many junglists take pride in their belongin to what may be referred to as a globalised drum & bass subculture, as a subculture though, it is not nearly as distinct at gothic or punk!

  2. #2
    The Right Honourable psychopath's Avatar
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    What do you mean by "platform"? Your operating system? Or you mean like native vs .NET vs Java?
    M.Eng Computer Engineering Candidate
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  3. #3
    Its hard... But im here swgh's Avatar
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    Platform OS would either be one of three: Windows, Unix or DOS.

    The differences between the three widley vary. Unix is more or less all C based.
    Double Helix STL

  4. #4
    Matt Conway bobthebullet990's Avatar
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    wooops!!! sorry!!! not platform!!! I meant language!!! I have written and read so much today im confusing myself!!!
    Many junglists take pride in their belongin to what may be referred to as a globalised drum & bass subculture, as a subculture though, it is not nearly as distinct at gothic or punk!

  5. #5
    Its hard... But im here swgh's Avatar
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    C++ - Very fast, effiecent for app building, uses OOP and has more portabliitly and backward
    compatability with C. Almost all commercial games are written in C++ and it is also used
    to build business applications for companys worldwide.

    C - A small portable language build to support the Lunix OS. Like C++, it is fast but in ways harder syntax than C++. Manly used as a leverage for OS building and is still a well used language to date.

    Visual Basic - Used mainly as a teaching language, but still has many important uses. These include applications for business and has lots of commercai usage.

    Java- Builds web-based client applications, and seen as a close rival by some to C++. Applications are mainly a mixture of C++ and Java.
    Double Helix STL

  6. #6
    Hurry Slowly vart's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by swgh
    C - A small portable language build to support the Lunix OS.
    Very funny...

    Lunix created in the 1994...
    Or you mean Linux? 1991

    And C, originated in the 1972... http://www.engin.umd.umich.edu/CIS/c...is400/c/c.html
    All problems in computer science can be solved by another level of indirection,
    except for the problem of too many layers of indirection.
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  7. #7
    Its hard... But im here swgh's Avatar
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    Lol sorry Vart

    I guess my C language background knowledge on dates is a little rusty!
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  8. #8
    The superhaterodyne twomers's Avatar
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    >> [C is] in ways harder syntax than C++

    When I was in first year one of my lecturers (he lectured in C, but granted he was a complete idiot), thinks the syntax was harder for C++ ...


    >> C - A small portable language build to support the Lunix OS.

    ... erm .... no, just no. I can only assume you are being sarcastic ... but ... nah. Never mind.

  9. #9
    Its hard... But im here swgh's Avatar
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    ... erm .... no, just no. I can only assume you are being sarcastic ... but ... nah. Never mind.
    I stand by what i said after Vart made light of my comment about this. I stand fully corrected on this issue. Back to the books...
    Double Helix STL

  10. #10
    and the hat of int overfl Salem's Avatar
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    Isn't Lunix for moon-based applications?
    If you dance barefoot on the broken glass of undefined behaviour, you've got to expect the occasional cut.
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  11. #11
    Ethernal Noob
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    Making C cross-celestial

  12. #12
    Cat without Hat CornedBee's Avatar
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    But it's not that far off. (*groan*)

    C was developed for implementing Unix, just like its predecessors, B and BCPL.

    C++'s syntax is harder than C's. It's largely the same, and then some. You don't get much more unreadable than multiply nested templates.
    All the buzzt!
    CornedBee

    "There is not now, nor has there ever been, nor will there ever be, any programming language in which it is the least bit difficult to write bad code."
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  13. #13
    The Right Honourable psychopath's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by swgh
    Java- Builds web-based client applications, and seen as a close rival by some to C++.
    I think Java rivals C# more than it does C++, IMO.
    M.Eng Computer Engineering Candidate
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  14. #14
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    First and foremost, I use a specialized language if possible -- anything with a database gets most of its work done in PL/SQL.

    Second... how much of a constraint is time... really? 90% of tasks can be thrown together amazingly quickly with shell scripts.
    • Spend 4 hours writing a program that will take 30 seconds to run
    • vs spending 5 minutes writing a program that will take 5 minutes to run


    Once you get past those, it's largely a matter of preference. I mean, if you need to run in an applet, then you're obviously gonna use Java.
    Barring little requirements like that though... everything that isn't suited for a specialized language or shell script gets done in C++, because it's the best general purpose language.
    Callou collei we'll code the way
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  15. #15
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    C++ if it's a large program (otherwise you have to be pretty damn crafty to avoid code redundancy), C if its low level or small, and Java or C# if you don't mind Sun or Microsoft respectively (I do, but that's a different conversation). Also don't forget about languages like Eiffel, Python, Ada and Erlang; they can be incredibly useful in the right circumstances.

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