ARM Programming (Raspberry Pi)

Discussion in 'Programming' started by freenet, Jul 22, 2012.

  1. #1
    Hi guys, i want buy Raspberry Pi and I have a question: I can programming ARM1176JZFS with ANSI C and all standard C library?
     
    freenet, Jul 22, 2012 IP
  2. stevenh512

    stevenh512 Peon

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    #2
    The Raspberry Pi runs Linux, so I don't see why you wouldn't be able to write programs for it in C, C++, Java, PHP, Ruby, Perl or any other programming language Linux supports.
     
    stevenh512, Jul 22, 2012 IP
  3. freenet

    freenet Peon

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    #3
    I know it's a stupid question, but it's just a curiosity because i've readed i some forum ARM processors need different library.
     
    freenet, Jul 23, 2012 IP
  4. deathshadow

    deathshadow Acclaimed Member

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    #4
    Libraries are rarely the issue, it's often more about compiler flags to dial in the correct optimizations -- binary compatibility with processor specific optimizations is effectively non-existent on ARM, which I suspect is a contributing factor to most real-world arm implementations using some form of intermediate VM like Java to do anything.

    In my own cross-platform project (of which the Pi and a Allwinner A10 powered Android 4.0 tablet are my testing platforms), I have found a LOT of my assumptions about ARM v8 and v9's capabilities were way, way off the mark. An example of this is floating point -- MOST ARM processors don't have a dedicated FPU -- and the ones that do have the so called VFP (Vector Floating Point) unit aren't as capable per clock cycle as a i8087 circa 1980! Without a VFP all floating point has to be soft-coded, and even with the latest bleeding edge VFP it's a pathetically anemic little pile of trash compared to an equal clock speed Pentium II... The 32 bit float (single precision) is barely capable of doing anything (other than matrix math), and you want 64 or 80 bit, faggedaboutit.

    Low power and low cost has a price all its own -- but it also goes back to the whole CISC vs. RISC joke: "RISC is for people who write compilers, CISC is for people who write programs."

    Which is why most "CISC" chips today basically have a microcode compiler sitting atop a RISC chip, so you get best of both.
     
    deathshadow, Jul 23, 2012 IP
  5. freenet

    freenet Peon

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    #5
    So what do you advise me?
    I would like to begin ARM programming.
     
    freenet, Jul 23, 2012 IP