From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 X-Spam-Checker-Version: SpamAssassin 3.4.4 (2020-01-24) on polar.synack.me X-Spam-Level: X-Spam-Status: No, score=-1.9 required=5.0 tests=BAYES_00 autolearn=unavailable autolearn_force=no version=3.4.4 Path: border2.nntp.dca1.giganews.com!border1.nntp.dca1.giganews.com!nntp.giganews.com!usenet.blueworldhosting.com!feeder01.blueworldhosting.com!feeder.erje.net!eu.feeder.erje.net!eternal-september.org!feeder.eternal-september.org!news.eternal-september.org!.POSTED!not-for-mail From: Natasha Kerensikova Newsgroups: comp.lang.ada Subject: Re: Newcomers to comp.lang.ada: welcome and how did you end up here ? Date: Fri, 10 Oct 2014 11:41:09 +0000 (UTC) Organization: A noiseless patient Spider Message-ID: References: <87h9zdpi84.fsf@ixod.org> <87fvex5bwy.fsf@ixod.org> <87egug8f8j.fsf@ixod.org> Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=utf-8 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit Injection-Date: Fri, 10 Oct 2014 11:41:09 +0000 (UTC) Injection-Info: mx02.eternal-september.org; posting-host="76a49b86bc3e16725b7cfca3d85cb4c8"; logging-data="8660"; mail-complaints-to="abuse@eternal-september.org"; posting-account="U2FsdGVkX1/iqgqjoE+WWVQZko9ZP89s" User-Agent: slrn/1.0.1 (FreeBSD) Cancel-Lock: sha1:xHy0GeCdK6wTj399AXSwxxkvVug= Xref: number.nntp.giganews.com comp.lang.ada:189613 Date: 2014-10-10T11:41:09+00:00 List-Id: On 2014-10-10, Björn Lundin wrote: > On 2014-10-10 11:07, Mark Carroll wrote: >> Natasha Kerensikova writes: >> >>> I'm also trying to build a cross-compiler for Nintendo DS, it's a bit >>> less smooth but I haven't spent much time on it yet. Is it also doomed? >> >> Now that would be cool. My children each have a Nintendo DS, so such a >> compiler might help to get them into programming! >> > > And it will make me, and my children looking into > embedded programming with graphics. > It would be really nice I don't want to ruin your enthusiasm, but be aware that the compiler is only part of the story: once you have properly formatted bytecode, you still need to somehow load it in the device itself, and that part becomes trickier and trickier. It usually involves a special flashcart where images are loaded, but since copyrighted game images can be loaded too, they are looked suspiciously and might even be illegal in some areas. And even when the hardware is fine, its firmware might be source of trouble, since it often contains parts of vulnerable copyrighted games to trick the device into running unsigned code. Moreover, Nintendo is currently playing cat-and-mouse with flashcart makers, so you might have to stick with older firmware versions (and not use newer retail games) or replace the flashcart when newer firmware bans the previous one (with often a period without working flashcart until they come up with a solution). The original (big gray) Nintendo DS and the DSlite have it easy, since they were designed to be offline and they have a wide range of available flashcarts. I think DSi is mostly fine, but 3DS and 2DS all have the cat-and-mouse firmware dynamics. Also the newer features are not available either, since the flashcart works by pretending to be a DS game (or maybe they worked up to DSi level), newer consoles go into compatibility mode and disable features like 3D, wider upper screen, etc. Having said that, I believe it still allows fun things to be done, otherwise I wouldn't be trying to add the Ada fronted to their patched gcc. I wonder why the DS homebrew community is so small (even before the cat-and-mouse began to be troublesome), compared to GBA homebrew back in the days. Natasha