From: Hal Fulton <hal9000@...>
Date: 2006-07-22T12:01:27+09:00
Subject: Re: Ruby on Handhelds

M. Edward (Ed) Borasky wrote:
> gregarican wrote:
> 
>> 3) Need for targeting embedded devices. From cell phones to PDA's to
>> smartphones there are lots of cutting edge projects which Ruby could
>> help expose how truly easy and fun programming them could be. But it
>> doesn't seem as if there's an overwhelming acknowledgement of this in
>> the Ruby community as a whole.
>>   
> 
> I don't really like this idea. I find "live handheld programming" a 
> frustrating experience. Without a readable screen and a usable keyboard, 
> no matter how much RAM or flash memory a handheld has, it's basically 
> just a PIM/PDA/expensive calculator.
> 
> The last handheld I owned that I considered programmable was the 
> HP-100LX. This had DOS 5.0, a small but readable 80x25 screen and a 
> small but usable keyboard. It would run Forth, DOS Perl 4, Derive and 
> just about anything that would run under DOS. And it had a great PIM/PDA 
> built in as well as Lotus 1-2-3 2.4.
> 
> I've got a Sharp Zaurus 6000, BTW. Supposedly it runs Maxima and it has 
> a nice screen, but the keyboard is tiny. It's a tad big for a pocket, 
> but it's the closest thing I've found to the HP-100LX.
> 
> There's a *reason* people use SDKs to program small devices. I don't see 
> the point of a Ruby interpreter in anything without a real keyboard.
> 

I see your point. (I had the 200LX, by the way. What a sweet machine.)

But to me, the point is being able to *run* programs on the handheld --
something I'd love to do. I don't mind doing the development on the
desktop as long as I can run the result in the palm of my hand.

Ruby runs on the Zaurus, right? I grant you might not like coding and
debugging on it, but wouldn't you like to run your own custom apps on it
written in Ruby? I would.


Hal