Does anybody here know how to add Great Cow Basic to Visual Studio Code ?
I see that Arduino is now adapted to VS Code and I think it would be great to add GCB!! https://code.visualstudio.com/
Please let me know if this is and "easy task" or a hard/impossible task.
Thanks
James
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One of the benefits of Great Cow Basic is that you do not need a complex IDE with a steep learning curve.
But If we are going to support a bloated IDE would it not be better to support MPLABx as a portable platform before spending resources on a proprietary IDE ?
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Chris, I support your view.
Great Cow is operating system independent. I see no advantage in supporting a specialized proprietary platform.
Especially since it is known that in the long run you only negotiate disadvantages with it.
Although I have to admit that the sudden openness of Microsoft amazes me a lot
Last edit: bed 2019-09-30
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My thinking is that a Universal IDE like VS Code would bring GCB to more people.
After using GCB for a while we become familiar with the IDE, however there is a signifant learning curve for kids & new users.
I think this is why the Aruduino Platform is also now available on VS Code.
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@James. The strategy for Microchip is for the Aruduino Platform be supported within MPLAB-X IDE and the MPLAB-X Cloud. This is a fact not my best guess.
The Universal IDE from a Microchip perspective are MPLAB-X. the Java IDE and Cloud version.
I am not providing a view whether VS is good/bad with the statements above just stating the strategy of Microchip.
Hugh and I are still to find time to discuss and impact the VS IDE route.
Last edit: Anobium 2019-09-30
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From my limited experience of VS Code, it should be quite easy to use it to edit a .gcb file, and have tasks for compile, build, upload etc.
Syntax highlighting and intelligent code completion sounds like it would be a bit more tricky, but I'm not sure by how much.
I think the biggest problem is that you would have to maintain a VS Code and a Synwrite (and possibly MPLAB) versions of everything instead of just having one.
I've recently switched from the Arduino IDE to VSCode because it seems to compile and upload much faster and I like the syntax highlighting and intelligent code completion, but I still don't find it as intuitive as Arduino (or GCB & Synwrite).
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I always thought gcb's best features were-
It's free, it was easy to program a uno.
If you can't do C then the arduino sketch ide is useless.
I never used mplab because I thought you needed to buy software to use basic but I coud be wrong.
It's a difficult choice. Make gcb seem easy to use for a beginner or make it seem useful for advanced programmers.
Maybe a "what do you use gcb for?" in the forum to see the users usage.
You can check how many times gcb has been downloaded but that doesn't mean users.
Bed's gcb home page is great. I'm sure it has attracted new users.
Picaxe is still going and it's commercial yet has many users...see the picaxe forum.
gcb is much better than picaxe but does it have as many users?
Not everyone is a widows expert either...so keep it simple please.
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Is there anything stopping me using win notepad or notepad++ to write a program and save as gcb file and compile or the fb ide? Just wondering. When I first used gcb I used xloader to flash the hex file before I understood gcb.
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Sorry but it read like using Visual Studio would make using gcb a better experience but I have a feeling that learning something new is not popular with some people...myself included.
I appreciate the effort people make to improve gcb but I'm thinking of non expert users like myself who finally get it working only for it to change..which gcb has done.
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Does anybody here know how to add Great Cow Basic to Visual Studio Code ?
I see that Arduino is now adapted to VS Code and I think it would be great to add GCB!!
https://code.visualstudio.com/
Please let me know if this is and "easy task" or a hard/impossible task.
Thanks
James
Hello James,
As you emailed myself and Hugh last week with the same question. Give us a little more time to consider the impact and costs.
Evan
One of the benefits of Great Cow Basic is that you do not need a complex IDE with a steep learning curve.
But If we are going to support a bloated IDE would it not be better to support MPLABx as a portable platform before spending resources on a proprietary IDE ?
Chris, I support your view.
Great Cow is operating system independent. I see no advantage in supporting a specialized proprietary platform.
Especially since it is known that in the long run you only negotiate disadvantages with it.
Although I have to admit that the sudden openness of Microsoft amazes me a lot
Last edit: bed 2019-09-30
My thinking is that a Universal IDE like VS Code would bring GCB to more people.
After using GCB for a while we become familiar with the IDE, however there is a signifant learning curve for kids & new users.
I think this is why the Aruduino Platform is also now available on VS Code.
@James. The strategy for Microchip is for the Aruduino Platform be supported within MPLAB-X IDE and the MPLAB-X Cloud. This is a fact not my best guess.
The Universal IDE from a Microchip perspective are MPLAB-X. the Java IDE and Cloud version.
I am not providing a view whether VS is good/bad with the statements above just stating the strategy of Microchip.
Hugh and I are still to find time to discuss and impact the VS IDE route.
Last edit: Anobium 2019-09-30
From my limited experience of VS Code, it should be quite easy to use it to edit a .gcb file, and have tasks for compile, build, upload etc.
Syntax highlighting and intelligent code completion sounds like it would be a bit more tricky, but I'm not sure by how much.
I think the biggest problem is that you would have to maintain a VS Code and a Synwrite (and possibly MPLAB) versions of everything instead of just having one.
I've recently switched from the Arduino IDE to VSCode because it seems to compile and upload much faster and I like the syntax highlighting and intelligent code completion, but I still don't find it as intuitive as Arduino (or GCB & Synwrite).
I always thought gcb's best features were-
It's free, it was easy to program a uno.
If you can't do C then the arduino sketch ide is useless.
I never used mplab because I thought you needed to buy software to use basic but I coud be wrong.
It's a difficult choice. Make gcb seem easy to use for a beginner or make it seem useful for advanced programmers.
Maybe a "what do you use gcb for?" in the forum to see the users usage.
You can check how many times gcb has been downloaded but that doesn't mean users.
Bed's gcb home page is great. I'm sure it has attracted new users.
Picaxe is still going and it's commercial yet has many users...see the picaxe forum.
gcb is much better than picaxe but does it have as many users?
Not everyone is a widows expert either...so keep it simple please.
Is there anything stopping me using win notepad or notepad++ to write a program and save as gcb file and compile or the fb ide? Just wondering. When I first used gcb I used xloader to flash the hex file before I understood gcb.
Stan you can use edlin.exe - but, why? The existing IDE resolves learning all the command line switches.
That was my point. gcb ide is fine. Why another?
oh ok. Does not read like that.
Sorry but it read like using Visual Studio would make using gcb a better experience but I have a feeling that learning something new is not popular with some people...myself included.
I appreciate the effort people make to improve gcb but I'm thinking of non expert users like myself who finally get it working only for it to change..which gcb has done.