[iyonix-support] Re: ABC Compiler

On Wed 31 May, Andrew Hodgkinson wrote:
> 
> Martin Wuerthner wrote:
> 
> > With hindsight, it would have been a good idea if RO5 had introduced
> > such a check - back then, it would have been an ideal moment to do so
> > because all executables had to be changed anyway to make them 32-bit
> > compatible.
> 
> Actually, many executables did not, particularly a lot of transient 
> utilities. In fact there was a long discussion and ultimately a quite 
> explicit decision to *not* require the header. There was already more 
> than enough incompatibility without introducing another source of problems.
> 
> If the RISC OS market had been alive, vibrant and bouncy ;-) then the 
> decision might have been different, but because there were a fair few 
> 26/32-bit neutral bits of code already out in the field that worked but 
> were no longer maintained. With the market apparently in no state to be 
> likely to either restart maintenance, the decision was made to have as 
> small an impact as possible.

 I can see the logic in the above, it is though a pity that advantages of
AIF headers wasn't promoted along side the details for 32bitting!
or was that done and ignored:-(
 
> Crashes due to running 26-bit code accidentally are surely rare; but 
> you're right to point them out.

I thought AIF headers offered a number of other advantages which would
increase reliability.

> 32-bit RISC OS was originally conceived 
> for use in closed systems, with Phoebe long dead, though the engineers 
> involved did try to bear in mind desktop users - good thing too, as it 
> turned out, or the Iyonix couldn't have happened.

:-)

Chris Evans

-- 
CJE Micro's / 4D                'RISC OS Specialists'
Telephone: 01903 523222             Fax: 01903 523679
chris@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx     http://www.cjemicros.co.uk/
78 Brighton Road, Worthing, West Sussex,     BN11 2EN
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