OpenEuphoria

Re: .il code/file questions

• Posted by Derek Parnell <ddparnell at bigpond.com> Nov 17, 2004
• 689 views

Andy Serpa wrote:
> 
> Robert Craig wrote:
> > 
> > In theory, I could sell the translator source, but with
> > the restriction that it can only be used for private use,
> > and not for creating and distributing new versions of Euphoria
> > to the masses. It would involve extra 
> > configuration/packaging/documenting/tech suport 
> > work for me, and I don't think there are very many people,
> > other than potential competitors,
> > who would have the ability or desire to modify the translator 
> > in a significant way, though some front-end changes might be easy.
> > In general, it's quite a bit more complicated than the interpreter.
> > 
> > It provides me with one of my last "fig leaves" in this
> > age of openness. 
> > 
> 
> How about this?  You already have an open-source front-end.  Now we just have
> to get
> to the point where that can really be useful.  What I would like, and I think
> it would
> increase demand for sales rather than decrease it, is this: allow me or anyone
> to hack
> to the front-end to our heart's content, and then allow that front-end to be
> "plugged
> in" for use with the translator or binder.  We would still need to buy the
> binder from
> you to make .il files, and we would still have to register the translator to
> get rid
> of the delay.  Since the translator is now written in Euphoria, couldn't it
> actually
> just run as interpreted Euphoria instead of as an .exe?  You could shroud the
> proprietary
> parts of it, but allow us to replace the unshrouded front-end source files
> with our
> modified versions.  Isn't this basically what we can do with the interpreter
> if we
> register the source?  So let's allow it with the translator too -- a fully
> user-modifiable
> front-end that emits the same .il as usual, but arrived at differently because
> the
> user has modified the parser, etc.  I hope I am explaining clearly...

This is the sort of thing I was also suggesting. RDS doesn't lose on the
deal because the only thing we would be replacing is the free stuff anyway.

In fact, RDS needs to realize that they have multiple products - the free
Euphoria-to-IL converter(s) - the front-end, and the not-free binder that
can bind backend.exe to an IL to create a new .exe file.

I want to support RDS's backend because its very very good. Its just that
I would like to create the IL using a different tool than the free RDS
product.

I know that the current IL file format is proprietary but that doesn't
mean that another, public format, can't be devised and supported by 
bind.exe. In fact, I've already started documenting a file format
that could become the 'official' standard, after lot's of peer review.

It would be only if RDS refuses to support this idea, that some real
competition could evolve to challenge RDS's income stream. This is
a real win-win for all.

-- 
Derek Parnell
Melbourne, Australia