PureBasic OS X users all Dead?

Agent Smith · Post by **Agent Smith** » Thu Sep 21, 2006 2:08 pm

Well I haven't died, just given up on PureBasic for the time being and switched back to Blitz Max. I originally purchased PureBasic with high hopes of using it for cross-platform development, but I have to say it left me somewhat disappointed. I find Mac 3.94d to be so buggy as to be practically unusable, and I got zero support on these forums. Because the compilers for all platforms aren't updated and released at the same time, they have diverged considerably. So much, that they are now practically source-code incompatible - not exactly ideal for cross-platform portability. Maybe if Mac PB 4.0 is considerably improved, I might have another look at PureBasic.

So PureBasic generates tiny executables. Whoopy-doo! Who really cares? The only thing I care about in a compiler is the quality of the code produced. I'm talking about execution speed, not executable size. Benchmark tests I've done have shown that Blitz Max is just as fast, if not faster in most cases than equivalent PureBasic code (for both Mac and Windows executables). I guess I was a bit taken in by all that "highly optimised assembly language" hype, which turned out to be misleading advertising.

I can't see why anyone would have a problem with Blitz Max syntax. Personally, I find it to be simpler and cleaner. PureBasic seems excessively verbose. I mean, take "ProcedureReturn" for example. What's wrong with just "return" like virtually every other language? And since when does a "Procedure" have a return value anyway? Anyone ever heard of a "Function"?

garretthylltun · Post by **garretthylltun** » Thu Sep 21, 2006 4:11 pm

Yeah, but you can see in the end, I too found that I can't use PureBasic
right now for basically the same reasons as you note. I ended up using
BlitzMax because it is more mature and more stable. The syntax issues
are annoying, but at least I can deal with it.

And it's IDE DOESN'T CRASH IF YOU LOOK AT IT WRONG!

Did I mention how annoying the crashing PureBasic IDE is?

Anyway, I sure hope PureBasic 4 on Linux and OS X are large leaps from
from 3.94 now.

-Garrett

hard2sea · Post by **hard2sea** » Mon Sep 25, 2006 6:49 am

Guys,

Blitz vs Pure. I know this. On on a Mac platform, BlitzMax works (demo and all) and PureBasic is vaporware. I have confirmed IO (joystick and such) and fundimental graphics (PNG transapanency). None works in PureBasic on PPC. PureBasic Mac PPC, is not to deal with embedded alphas or masks, because only total sprite transpanncies are supported. What use is this? These are foundation functionalities necessary for any sort of game. Mac platforms are NOT yet supported. I paid my bucks for PureBasic and BlitzMax both... learned my lesson. I do not have to decend into Xcode to do what I wish. And I do not have to learn script like Torque.

I spent the time and recompiled my game in Blitz. It works. When Fred gets around to building a Mac product, I'll have a look. Until then, I'll do BlitzMax.

Sorry!

Agent Smith · Post by **Agent Smith** » Mon Sep 25, 2006 1:13 pm

Dude, I feel your pain!

Did I mention how annoying the crashing PureBasic IDE is?

There's always the Xcode IDE, or you could write a BBEdit plug-in for TextWrangler

mar · Post by **mar** » Thu Sep 28, 2006 8:09 am

I'm waiting too ...

This time I don't know what kind of Mac I will buy when PB4.0 is out.
-- Blitz3D is only running on Windows I guess --

See you
mar

Post by **Fred** » Thu Sep 28, 2006 8:14 pm

PNG transparency is both supported in apps and games on OS X, due to the OpenGL graphic layer (did you tried it at all ?). That's true the IDE is a bit unstable, but we couldn't find the problem until now. The OS X version will be reworked for v4, and should solve all the above problems.

garretthylltun · Post by **garretthylltun** » Thu Sep 28, 2006 9:01 pm

Fred wrote: That's true the IDE is a bit unstable, but we couldn't find the problem until now. The OS X version will be reworked for v4, and should solve all the above problems.

I figured you would resolve that for 4.

Do you think we'll see 4 on
OS X before the end of this year?

Thanks,
-Garrett

Kale · Post by **Kale** » Thu Sep 28, 2006 9:50 pm

garretthylltun wrote:Do you think we'll see 4 on
OS X before the end of this year?

I would like to know this aswell.

Post by **Fred** » Thu Sep 28, 2006 10:07 pm

I think yes.

Kale · Post by **Kale** » Thu Sep 28, 2006 10:25 pm

Fred wrote:I think yes.

VERY VERY COOL!!! I have a commercial program already developed with v4 but i need a mac version asap.

CSAUER · Post by **CSAUER** » Fri Sep 29, 2006 9:51 am

Very cool.

@Fred: Could we expect Universal Binaries?

hard2sea · Post by **hard2sea** » Fri Sep 29, 2006 2:07 pm

Fred,

What I needed was a transparency mask for my sprite (only certain areas). I read the forums, documentation, and everything I could find. The only thing I could do was adjust the transparency for the entire sprite. Perhaps I don't understand. I am not experenced enough yet to try bringing in c code into the whole mess for drivers, so rely on PureBasic to handle the graphics.

I rewrote the app in Bltz, but will happily build it again in Pure when V4.0 Mac comes out. It will be interesting to do a head to head. The code is not all that long. Good experence. Universal binaries would put me solidly back in the Pure fold as this is something BlitzMax can not yet do.

Thanks for your reply, and I await V4.

Best Regards

LESTROSO · Post by **LESTROSO** » Mon Oct 16, 2006 8:26 am

Dear FRED,

It's one year that i'm waiting for an update to purebasic 4.0....like all mac os x users....well i have bought blitzmax too ........and i have discovered that is powerfull and real cross platform, but too complicated than Purebasic, and so i want to develop again in purebasic...

Fred i always told you , you are the best programmer !!!! But you must develop with a large team to improve fast and well pure basic (it's only an idea)...

Okay here down my question..for mac purebasic 4.0 .if you can answer me ......::::

1- can you implement joystick support ??

2- graphic is very slow and when sprites are numerous the app go slow...

3- can you implement module,palette??

4- can i use opengl on purebasic for linux,windows xp,macos x??any examples??

5-ogre support?

6- can i create dll for mac (or better frameworks)??

7-

the most important question.....can you implement instrunctions to pilot usb digital still camera,web camera,firewire video camera, usb-firewire devices in general...(very very important)..for linux,windows,macosx????

8- there is a little problem when purebasic create a new document and when i closed the app purebasic and when i click to the new document, purebasic don't recognize his documents, why????

9- Debugger problem....start,stop,step don't work.....

10- it will be a speech module and recognition for linux,windows, mac os x?????

11- last but not least.....multilayer from text and graphic...graphic to graphic....

12-

Support For Universal Binaries.......

Thank you in advance Fred.......

Lestroso

:

mar · Post by **mar** » Fri Nov 10, 2006 7:41 pm

Now I have MacBook Pro with Mac, Debian and Windows XP running. Debian also has working Ati drivers .
mar

JoRo · Post by **JoRo** » Sat Nov 11, 2006 2:23 pm

Just want to tell:
I am also waiting. My users are waiting, weekly I get an email, where I am asked, whether and when the MacVersion of GeoControl will be released.
Looking forward to a unviersal binary in the begin of 2007.....

PureBasic Forums - English

PureBasic OS X users all Dead?

BlitzMax vs. PureBasic