In my opinion, the serial port will always be supported because there will always be USB to serial adapters. My issue with USB is the driver required although I'm sure microchip will always come out with drivers for new operating systems. Serial port hardware does not need drivers.
Maybe a bootloader for jalv2 would be written in ASM, but you could have one file with jal constants to choose your PIC. In the long term, a lot of PIC's could be supported. Maybe there is not enouf interest right now. If a bootloader was written in jalv2 instead of ASM, it would support all PIC's (I think), because you would just change the device include. even more, you could have some ASM code + some jal code. If you choose a PIC that is not supported in ASM, it would automatically use JAL code which takes more space. Matt. On Nov 29, 6:16 am, Rob Hamerling <[email protected]> wrote: > Hi Vasile, > > [RobH:] > > >> I have not much experience with bootloaders, only with the > >> TinyBootlader. I have never overwritten it (except when I used a normal > >> programmer), probably because its PC support program prevents it. > funlw65 wrote: > > It happens when you develop for many Operating Systems or when you > > test various bootloaders, or various uploaders (PC host application). > > By example, on Linux, the Alberts python uploader sometimes can > > destroy the bootloader. The program it works, is starting after 10 > > seconds but the board is not recognized until the program starts. > > Another example: Pinguino IDE of J.P. Mandon can upload programs on > > board without problems in Linux but in windows is a kind of lottery. > > In such situations we are not talking about absolute beginners and these > people will be able to overcome the shortcomings of support programs or > their personal errors without us. And they are probably not the target > audience for a special bootloader. > > > From your point of view (you are a developer, working with a large > > variety of pics) you have right, but when you try to make a board like > > Arduino, to help beginners to start with JAL, you must have everything > > working perfectly, without glitches. Why so many children (see Arduino > > projects on youtube) prefer to buy an Arduino board? Because they need > > only to program and upload. That's all. No programmers, no awful > > configuration and fuses, no datasheet pains. Of course, in time they > > will want more. But the beginning is very important. For some will be > > just an adventure, but for others will be a hobby. > > This is why your board must hide ALL complexity and avoid all > > complications. > > Here I completely agree with you (for a change ;-) ) > But a bootloader for Jaluino is something else than a general purpose > bootloader which must be usable for different PICs and other variables > about which Matthew is 'dreaming aloud'. > > > About serial port. How much time the PC producers will continue to > > support it? Think about little laptops made for children for school: > > one or two, maybe three USB ports. How they will connect the Jaluino > > board (be careful, if the board is complicated, will not be an option > > - they will choose Pinguino) on that PC? As another parenthesis, I > > have seen on Internet many teachers wanting to make 5 - 8 pinguino > > boards for their classes. > > Indeed for the Jaluino I agree. > > > So, I like the USB bootloader of Albert, written entirely for JAL. > > So far I did not see (or understood) the relation between a bootloader > and the Jal programming language. For me these are totally unrelated. A > bootloader is just a tool to transfer a hex file to the PIC. The hex > file could be created by any other compiler or assembler or even by > hand, doesn't matter. When the bootloader would be written in Jal is > another matter, about which I have already given my point of view. > > Regards, Rob. > > -- > Rob Hamerling, Vianen, NL (http://www.robh.nl/) -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "jallib" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected]. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/jallib?hl=en.
