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I disagree. C compilers are everywhere. A C compiler is the standard tool expected (and provided) with every embedded processor I've ever worked with. As a rule

I disagree. C compilers are everywhere. A C compiler is the standard tool expected (and provided) with every embedded processor I've ever worked with. As a rule of thumb, if a microprocessor is meant to be user-programmable, you get a C compiler with it. It will be a long time before I get a Ruby interpreter for a blackfin processor.

lmm 14y ago
You get a C compiler sure, but will a given C program work on it? Maybe not for ruby, but I'd certainly expect most new processors to run Java. A quick search suggests there are ruby interpreters for blackfin - and if you have a ruby interpreter you can be reasonably confident any given ruby program will behave correctly on it.
- tobiasu 14y ago
  There is a bare-metal ruby cross-compiler? Or are you talking about the ruby interpreter written in C running on an OS written in C? Java is available? Again are we talking about a bare-metal Java compiler (possibly supported by hardware being able to execute a subset of Java natively), or the large collection of software written in C and C++ that is supplied by Oracle?
  - lmm 14y ago
    Ruby interpreter written in C running on an OS written in C. No this is not inconsistent; I said move as much code as possible away from C. That which is impossible to move has to stay in C (and will probably be responsible for 99% of the headaches when porting to a new architecture).
- EliRivers 14y ago
  "A quick search suggests there are ruby interpreters for blackfin" I disagree. A google search for blackfin ruby interpreter did not suggest that to me.
- kelnos 14y ago
  Good luck getting a JVM working reasonably well on a low-horsepower CPU. C is always your best bet for something usable.
  - pjmlp 14y ago
    Depends on what you consider a low-horsepower CPU, many developers still use Assembly for many of them.
    - kelnos 14y ago
      Hmm, good point. I think these days I'd consider "low-horsepower CPU" to top out around a 400MHz ARMv5, maybe? Eh, it's pretty arbitrary, I suppose.

lmm 14y ago

You get a C compiler sure, but will a given C program work on it? Maybe not for ruby, but I'd certainly expect most new processors to run Java. A quick search suggests there are ruby interpreters for blackfin - and if you have a ruby interpreter you can be reasonably confident any given ruby program will behave correctly on it.

tobiasu 14y ago
There is a bare-metal ruby cross-compiler? Or are you talking about the ruby interpreter written in C running on an OS written in C? Java is available? Again are we talking about a bare-metal Java compiler (possibly supported by hardware being able to execute a subset of Java natively), or the large collection of software written in C and C++ that is supplied by Oracle?
- lmm 14y ago
  Ruby interpreter written in C running on an OS written in C. No this is not inconsistent; I said move as much code as possible away from C. That which is impossible to move has to stay in C (and will probably be responsible for 99% of the headaches when porting to a new architecture).
EliRivers 14y ago
"A quick search suggests there are ruby interpreters for blackfin" I disagree. A google search for blackfin ruby interpreter did not suggest that to me.
kelnos 14y ago
Good luck getting a JVM working reasonably well on a low-horsepower CPU. C is always your best bet for something usable.
- pjmlp 14y ago
  Depends on what you consider a low-horsepower CPU, many developers still use Assembly for many of them.
  - kelnos 14y ago
    Hmm, good point. I think these days I'd consider "low-horsepower CPU" to top out around a 400MHz ARMv5, maybe? Eh, it's pretty arbitrary, I suppose.