C translator for calculator project

[Claudio L.]

(05-10-2019 08:47 AM)Dan Wrote:  However considering how opposed people are to C (whoever thought choosing a calculator programming language could be such a contentious issue!), perhaps I should reconsider.

I think "opposed" may not be the best word. I use C for almost everything, all the time, but thinking of a calculator it's probably better to have a language that looks closer to pseudocode and easy to pick up and understand for most people. Looking at Xerxes N-Queens various implementations, for example, a quick-scrolling look and to my eyes I see that Pascal, Lua, Micropython, TI-89, HP38 and HP Prime languages all look almost identical, and very easy to understand (I've never used a TI-89 for example but I can read it just fine). The C version comes close behind, readable to me but requires me to fix my sight to it and pay attention to each symbol (there's many more symbols and less words).

(05-10-2019 08:47 AM)Dan Wrote:  Another reason I chose C is because this is the language the firmware is written in. From the outset my goal (pipe dream?) was to make a calculator that others would use and contribute software to, and I thought that if people are using C on the calculator then they may be interested in contributing to the development of the firmware (it really is a big job for one person).

I know what you mean, it is a big job for one person but take your time and don't get discouraged.
Another aspect to consider is that you might get more contributions if you use an easier language. As a matter of fact, most professional applications work this way: They are coded in one language, then add an easy scripting or extension language for other people to contribute (Gimp (uses it's own script-fu), Wireshark (Lua), Blender (python), AutoCAD (Lisp, and later VisualBasic), etc.).
All you need to do is incorporate them in some pre-compiled form into your ROM and expose them the same as native commands.