Hi. I've been reading the stella back issues, and it seems to me it would
be a good idea to have a common developer wishlist. In reading the
letters, there is often a common pattern. Someone will present a problem,
someone will reply, and maybe a few people will chime in. If there is a
lingering problem, someone says "Wouldn't it be great if someone wrote code
to do so and so..." and after a month, electronic dust begins to settle on
the suggestion.
Suggestions also abound in the area of documentation. "Wouldn't it be nice
if someone wrote up such and such...".
I think my interest in all this is that I like to write tools. I think
every programmer has some inclination to do that, especially if they see a
need for better development tools. The trap (or bliss depending on your
outlook) is to just go on creating tools all the time and never get back to
using them.
Without commiting myself to anything (hehe), how popular/useful would a
java based tool be for you?
Here is my outlook on the tools and documentation. A "tool" is an
application, whether it runs on the 2600, or some other platform, that
helps you develop. Documentation is any textual item that helps you learn,
such as a tutorial, a reference, or a code example or disassembly. Awe,
what the heck...lets have a wishlist for Games/Demos you wish were
developed.
My Picks:
Tool:
All-around graphic design--->hex--->binary editor
(more than a text editor, less than a TIA emulator)
Doc:
Comprehensive 2600 tutorial, friendly pictures and analogies at the
front,code segment examples in the middle,
complete commented programs toward the end
A "tricks" book with a game-by-game analysis of special techniques
and the stories behind them that make the impossible possible.
Game:
i'll pass on this till I know what i want to code myself.
ok, everybody go crazy and post your wishlist...I'll cut and paste when the
dust settles.
-Andrew Schwerin
schwerin@xxxxxxxx
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