nemesis wrote:
> no, I'm simply saying that those "multiple operating systems" are using 
> the same old code from the same single company to handle old apps, so 
> that doesn't count as multiple operating systems.

Well, no, they're not. That's just factually incorrect. If that was the 
case, DOS programs couldn't write to files on NTFS partitions or access 
network shares, nor would software that writes directly to the screen 
work inside a window.

> A pure Java/Python/whatever program using standard interprocess 
> communication channels to deal with the underlying OS and using a 
> cross-platform GUI such as Swing/GTK+ will run in pretty much any major 
> OS unaltered. 

OK, that's a library.

> Blender the graphical modeller has its interface 
> implemented in OpenGL, which means little problem porting it everywhere. 
>  Coding a database using strict ISO SQL will make it pretty much 
> portable among many implementations.

I.e., you've pushed off the work of porting your stuff to the author of 
the interpreter.

Yet "mono" for some reason is "proprietary Microsoft code"?

>> The internet doesn't make programs run cross-platform. It just gives 
>> you a way to access them when they're running on someone else's platform.
> 
> It doesn't really matter where a web app is running as long as it does 
> what I mean.

That doesn't make it "cross-platform".

> 
>>> quite a few cross-platform development languages (Java, Python, Perl 
>>> etc)
>>
>> And BASIC. Which used to run everywhere. And was promoted and 
>> implemented by MS (amongst others).
> 
> Visual Basic is not plain Basic. 

Who put the word "visual" in there? You *are* aware that MS has been 
making BASIC interpreters since like Atari 800 days, right?

>> Except they don't provide executables.
> They sure do.  And they are truly cross-platform.

Python compiles down to an executable I can run on both Windows and 
Linux without installing a Python interpreter? Cool.

>> I agree that open source software is probably a better way to do 
>> stuff, as long as you aren't worried about making a living at it.
> 
> the folks at RedHat or Novell seem to be doing fine.

Yeah, much much better than Microsoft.

> 
>> Uh, so, how much Linux software runs without recompiling under 
>> Solaris? Does that actually work?
> 
> no, different executable format.  One of the areas that are not 
> standardized.

Bingo.

>  But the source is there 

... if you don't mind giving it away ...

> If you want truly cross-platform apps without recompiling, target a 
> programming language with a cross-platform runtime.  You won't need to 
> recompile your apps, but should install the proper runtime for your 
> system, which will be provided from the people who compiled them to your 
> system.

Yep. In other words, recompile.  As opposed to Microsoft, which manages 
to do it without recompiling and without a "cross-platform language".

-- 
   Darren New / San Diego, CA, USA (PST)
     On what day did God create the body thetans?

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