Currently inactive

[dkl]

Hi everyone,

I'd like to let everyone know that I'm no longer actively working on the FreeBASIC Compiler project. Last year was already very slow, this year is the same so far, so to be fair and clear, I thought it's time to admit it. I no longer have the same interest and time for fbc as before.

For me the main reason is that I'm no longer sure that the FB language fits in with C++ on the one hand and Python on the other, plus other languages which also compile to native code, but provide more built-in features.

Nevertheless, I'm still around. For example I still have some unfinished patches and lots of to-do list entries lying around, which may be worth getting into fbc's bug tracker or similar.

[marcov]

Pity. But I know how you feel. 20 years and the bugtracker is still at a all-time high.

[D.J.Peters]

Time to go if the captain leave the sinking ship :-)

In the last time I self don't spend much time with FreeBASIC.
My new hobby are developing and build a 3D scanner.
Secondly I build retro computing stuff and learn more about electronics.

How ever thank you for all your work to make FreeBASIC what it is today.

Joshy

[integer]

Hi everyone,
I'd like to let everyone know that I'm no longer actively working on the FreeBASIC Compiler project.
...
Nevertheless, I'm still around
...

Thank you for all you have provided.

[dodicat]

Sorry to see you go dkl.
Can we not persuade you otherwise?
Remember:
Better to reign in Hell than serve in Heaven.

[dafhi]

@dkl - congratulations! May your new ventures fulfill your wildest dreams!

[TeeEmCee]

Thank you for the enormous amount of work you're done on FB. We've benefited greatly from it. No open source contributor can be begrudged for deciding to do something else.

I think that other people will pick up and make some contributions. I hope you'll still be willing to spend a little bit of time providing guidance as necessary, because software projects need someone "senior" to turn to even if they're not writing code. Are other major FB contributors are still around? If I didn't have so many other projects, I would spend more time working on it, but I don't even know what's on the todo list. You've probably noticed what a low priority working on FB is for me (and that I'm unreliable), but I do have several series of 30+ patches I should finish off and submit. Much of the compiler I still can't really work on without someone to do code review.

I can see why you would be disillusioned. It's been unexpected to see FreeBasic imitate C++ ever closer (making it easier to wonder what the goal is), but that actually makes me comfortable keeping an existing large code-base in FB rather than switching, even if FB development stalls, because it's already good enough. For me, FB is now a subset of C++ with decent (though only 8bit) strings and a builtin graphics library.

Pity. But I know how you feel. 20 years and the bugtracker is still at a all-time high.

FB may still be buggy today, but it's vastly more stable and less buggy than back in the FB 0.16 days. It seems entirely normal that the number of open reported bugs goes up relentlessly even as the actual number of bugs goes down.

[Josep Roca]

Hi everyone,

I'd like to let everyone know that I'm no longer actively working on the FreeBASIC Compiler project. Last year was already very slow, this year is the same so far, so to be fair and clear, I thought it's time to admit it. I no longer have the same interest and time for fbc as before.

For me the main reason is that I'm no longer sure that the FB language fits in with C++ on the one hand and Python on the other, plus other languages which also compile to native code, but provide more built-in features.

Nevertheless, I'm still around. For example I still have some unfinished patches and lots of to-do list entries lying around, which may be worth getting into fbc's bug tracker or similar.

Thanks very much for all your efforts.

It would be great if at least one more version, with as many bugs as possible fixed, will be released. Having a bug free (or almost) compiler is essential.

[PaulSquires]

@dkl, thanks so much for all the work you put into this project over the years, you will be sorely missed as your wealth of knowledge with the compiler source code is unsurpassed. Hopefully time will reveal others who can devote as much passion to the compiler as you have shown. I only wish that my skills in compiler development were sufficient enough to make a difference to development. I wish you all the best.

[JohnK]

I really appreciate the work you put in. I have fb code performing many important tasks, which was so much easier for me to code!!!

[TeeEmCee]

It would be great if at least one more version, with as many bugs as possible fixed, will be released. Having a bug free (or almost) compiler is essential.

There's no such thing as a bug free compiler, and FB isn't even close. (Which is OK; you can work around compiler bugs.) If FB development slows down, it ought to continue to make occasional releases even if there are only a few bugs fixed and headers updated per release.

[marcov]

It would be great if at least one more version, with as many bugs as possible fixed, will be released. Having a bug free (or almost) compiler is essential.

There's no such thing as a bug free compiler, and FB isn't even close. (Which is OK; you can work around compiler bugs.) If FB development slows down, it ought to continue to make occasional releases even if there are only a few bugs fixed and headers updated per release.

You don't need a compiler devel for that, just sb that knows how to build it, and add the extras. The problem comes though if the target changes (usually OS X and *Nix, Windows is usually fine).

[TeeEmCee]

I rely on most targets, so would be happy to maintain them, as possible... except I won't have a Mac for much longer, and don't have a Win64 machine.

[Mihail_B]

You never know when you change your mind !
Maybe one day you'll get nostalgic.
Working for corporations can starve you to death, and all you'll want after a couple of years is to get some free days (or rather years) to code in FBC...

Thx for making our dreams possible :) !
Long live

[speedfixer]

dkl:

Thank you for your efforts.

In my short time with FB, you have moved it from interesting to truly valuable for current operating systems.
The increase in stability in threading is apparent.

You have personally shown what I would call the FB spirit in your personal involvement with individual user's problems/questions while learning, and not dismissive when a real question is asked.

You have been quick with a patch when you felt it was a material issue, even when it might have been an edge case. THAT is how bugs are killed and a language becomes viable.

After initial creation, few languages ever get the level of support by an individual that you have given FreeBasic.


Thank you for your attention.
We can only hope someone can step up and show half the dedication and skill that you have.

David