Which programming language?

Trickyphillips · 02-18-05, 06:15 AM

I've got a X50v being shipped right now, and I was considering writing some applications for it. Right now I'm fairly familiar with Visual Basic, and have just started taking a Java class at a local community college.

So, my questions....
--Is there a Java interpreter for PPC?
--Which programming language would I want to learn for writing PPC applications, and what would be used to compile my code for Windows Mobile?

Forgive me, if my questions are "newbish". I've never used a PPC even once yet, but I'm interested in learning a bit more about them.

Thanks... :)

silentknight · 02-18-05, 07:49 AM

if you want free, then stick with Microsoft Visual tools which includes Embedded Visual basic
and Embedded Visual C++ 3.0

There is also an Embedded Visual C++ 4.0, but it does not come w/ eVB.

Note:
With eVB you will not be able to make EXE files, they are "VB" filesl which get interpreted on the PPC.

With EVC++ You can get EXE's

here's embedded visual tools
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/d...displaylang=en

Dag · 02-18-05, 10:55 AM

Yeah, I'd recommend sticking with Visual Basic. You could try C++ but it's quite complicated - I wouldn't reccomend it until you've at least become proficient with a similar language such as Java or even PHP.

I don't know how well the PPC virutal machines work, but Java doesn't seem to work for me no matter what I'm running it on. I'm not talking about my own code - what I'm saying is that in my experience, regardless of the app, Java only seems to work really well when you're running Solaris.

Trickyphillips · 02-18-05, 04:47 PM

Thanks for the replies... I'm going to download MS Visual tools right now. Hopefully it won't be too different than VB6. :P

mmreed · 02-21-05, 11:55 PM

C# all the way

joseph_hac · 02-23-05, 12:49 AM

Originally Posted by mmreed

C# all the way

Agreed. If your learning Java, your about 3/4 of the way there!

eve6grl02 · 02-23-05, 09:19 AM

Originally Posted by Trickyphillips

Thanks for the replies... I'm going to download MS Visual tools right now. Hopefully it won't be too different than VB6. :P

eVB 3 isn't much different from vb6...there are lots of books out there for it, too...do an amazon search. i came up with these, among many others:

eVB mobile applications (general)

eVB mobile database applications (i have this one...it's pretty good)

as for eC++, once you learn Java really well, the other C-based languages are wicked easy. Java is alot harder than VB...so many semicolons and {}...ug. Much more powerful than VB6 though...

one more thing...if you are NOT writing a database application, try to get Visual Studio.NET 2003 from your school. you can write mobile VB.NET apps with that too (it's alot different from VB6 though...) to write database apps with .NET, you have to connect remotely to an SQLServer database, icky...

Trickyphillips · 02-23-05, 01:02 PM

Originally Posted by eve6grl02

so many semicolons and {}...ug.

That's how I'm feeling right now... I think I'm going to get through this, though.

Thanks for all of the replies. Seems like this Java class was a good choice. :)

BradleyUffner · 02-23-05, 01:07 PM

Originally Posted by eve6grl02

one more thing...if you are NOT writing a database application, try to get Visual Studio.NET 2003 from your school. you can write mobile VB.NET apps with that too (it's alot different from VB6 though...) to write database apps with .NET, you have to connect remotely to an SQLServer database, icky...

Actualy, SQL Server CE is fairly easy to use, and I'm starting to like it a lot. The only drawback is that it requires another dependancy to install on the user's pda.

eve6grl02 · 02-24-05, 09:54 AM

Originally Posted by BradleyUffner

Actualy, SQL Server CE is fairly easy to use, and I'm starting to like it a lot. The only drawback is that it requires another dependancy to install on the user's pda.

you're right, but for personal use (like the project i'm currently working on for school), it's not the best option. the software is way too expensive, and it requires WiFi access to use. unfortunately, i don't have money, rhode island college doesn't have the software, and they also don't have wifi (how pathetic!)

in general though, if you can get the software, it's the best option. however, if you know of another way, i'm open to suggestions...VB.NET is a better option that eVB for future compatibility... :approve:

BradleyUffner · 02-24-05, 10:04 AM

SQL Server CE is free as long as it is only used locally on the device (no external databases), there is only a charge if you use it to connect to a real SQL database. mor info here: http://www.microsoft.com/sql/ce/howtobuy/default.asp. I know it doesn't require a network connection, as it runs locally on pda. You just pass in the filename of the database and it opens the file, it's almost like using an access database. I've used it for several of my projects so far. It's not really "light weight" as adding the database stuff will use up about 2MB of storage space on the PDA, but it's great for application that actually need the fill power of SQL. I can get you some sample code if you would like to look into using it.

eve6grl02 · 02-24-05, 01:04 PM

Originally Posted by BradleyUffner

SQL Server CE is free as long as it is only used locally on the device (no external databases), there is only a charge if you use it to connect to a real SQL database. mor info here: http://www.microsoft.com/sql/ce/howtobuy/default.asp. I know it doesn't require a network connection, as it runs locally on pda. You just pass in the filename of the database and it opens the file, it's almost like using an access database. I've used it for several of my projects so far. It's not really "light weight" as adding the database stuff will use up about 2MB of storage space on the PDA, but it's great for application that actually need the fill power of SQL. I can get you some sample code if you would like to look into using it.

thanks for the info...my problem is this: i need to create a database on a desktop that can be dropped onto one or more PPCs and opened by my program. is there any way to do this for free? i was under the impression that i would need a copy of SQLServer2000 to make the database...

i also am writing a maintenance program to make changes to the database. this prog will run on a desktop and be programmed in VB.NET.

any further info would be greatly appreciated!

BradleyUffner · 02-24-05, 01:14 PM

The sqlce database is stored as a regular file on the ppc, so it could be copied off once created. I don't know if there is a way to read in the file from the desktop or not, but I will see if I can find anything. The database it's self can actually be created programatically on the ppc, or with the utility that gets installed that lets you do it visually.

eve6grl02 · 02-24-05, 01:19 PM

Originally Posted by BradleyUffner

The sqlce database is stored as a regular file on the ppc, so it could be copied off once created. I don't know if there is a way to read in the file from the desktop or not, but I will see if I can find anything. The database it's self can actually be created programatically on the ppc, or with the utility that gets installed that lets you do it visually.

what utility are you referring to? due to the size of the db i am creating, i can't create it programmatically. it's going to be a college course catalog displayed in a tree view on the device. the ppc user will not edit the database, only view it. the other program (the desktop one) will be to update the catalog when changes are made.

BradleyUffner · 02-24-05, 01:30 PM

There is small utility that lets you setup and edit the database schema on the ppc. From your description of the project, it sounds like sqlce may not be what you need for this project. The download is free (at the link i sent above) so you could take a look at it anyway to see how it works if you want. What database were you orriginally thinking about using for this project?