developer's mag
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part 9
1 - General/Web Site
1.01 - What's an ebm?1.02 - Is it Snk32 or Sneak32?
1.03 - Will there be a CDK area on the site?
1.04 - What about news, tutorials, reviews?
1.05 - Can I contribute?
1.06 - What about links?
1.07 - Are there any plans to do open source? Or Linux for the ebm?
1.08 - I want to develop/program in BASIC, Perl, etc - what do I do?
1.09 - What about an IDE for C or BASIC?
1.10 - But I need to develop in <your language here>!
1.01 - What's an ebm?
Try typing 'Franklin's eBookMan Handheld computer, all models' often enough, and you'll want a shortcut for it, too. In particular, this FAQ/site uses 'ebm' to refer to all the current eBookMan models; if specific versions are referred to, expect a model number or some other additional description.
1.02 - Is it Snk32 or Sneak32?
In the documentation, 'Snk32' is the official name for the ebm's CPU; however, Sneak32 seems to be the unofficial one. Either indicates what you mean. In the case of '32', this differentiates it from previous CPUs (like the Snk8).
1.03 - Will there be a CDK area on the site?
Depending on interest, there may be an FAQ on the Content Development Kit.
1.04 - What about news, tutorials, reviews?
The site's goals are open-ended - right now we're starting with development, but the hope is to expand into other areas.
1.05 - Can I contribute?
Emails, opinions, critiques are welcome and necessary to determine what is most important to focus on. Also, if you have something more tangible in mind (article idea, tutorial, etc.), please contact us.
1.06 - What about links?
Hopefully in the future. For now, Yahoo.com has discussion groups, and the eBookMan group ( http://groups.yahoo.com/group/eBookMan) has a comprehensive bookmark section.
1.07 - Are there any plans to do open source? Or Linux for the ebm?
An early post on one of the newsgroups indicated interest in both open source and Linux for the ebm. Unless someone is prepared to spearhead it (and do some major development work) however, quite likely it will not go forward.
1.08 - I want to develop/program in BASIC, Perl, etc - what do I do?
Currently there are no other languages available, although work is going on with Java and Palm Pilot resources - go to Chris Warren's site for further details.
1.09 - What about an IDE for C or BASIC?
Integrated Development Environments are a real boon to development. The ebm Form Editor is a step in that direction. If you want more, let Franklin know you are using it, and what you would like to see in the future.
1.10 - But I need to develop in <your language here>!
From time to time there have been discussions about languages. However, a company doesn't want to develop a language tool until there is a market for it, but proof of the market isn't available until the market exists. For instance, I have had discussions about a Visual-BASIC style IDE for the ebm line - however, if sales are dismal, the cost of developing it (and more significantly maintaining it for the few that actually bought it), could make it very expensive in the long run. In any case, programming in C is better for you, anyways!
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