weidu next generation - rewrite weidu into popular language - lack of resources

[AL|EN]

First, let me quote some part of the "BWS retrospections" regarding AutoIt:

While AutoIt nature being scripting language allowed dabus to create such wonderful application in reasonable short amount of time, without spending hours to code basic functionality, let's lets face it: AutoIt is overly complicated, limited and inconsistent language with no real debug ability and without minimum set of good tools. To name couple of things:
- AutoIt editors are terrible compared to Visual Studio/Powershell ISE/any other editor I've used
- you can't simple select code inside editor and execute it, you have to save file ?!?!?
- you can't re-declare variable as parameter inside function WTF?
- no support for more object oriented programming
- no support for unicode/utf-8
- many things are not consistent with even basic programming principles: new array also contain additional element with the number of elements! WTF!?!

The poor quality of the language was main reason for me to not put lot of effort into changing BWS code. I had a lot of ideas and they all endup as a disappearing sparks in the darkness every time when I wanted to take look at code and modify it. AutoIt was the reason why BWS exist in the first place but it is also the reason why development of this tool died when dabus quit. If it would use c#/python I would put lot of effort into improving codebase itself because those language are high quality, easy and fun to code. And today, we would have a tool which require zero effort from modders and maintainers. Now it's hell for both groups.

Now, what it has to do with weidu? Well, weidu is written using not-so-popular-language: you won't find OCalm here https://insights.stackoverflow.com/survey/2017#technology

Wisp, you became "single point of failure" - if you life will change and you won't be able to support weidu, unless there will be a miracle and takeover of the development, weidu will be dead. The chances to takeover the project which use Ocalm are 10x more unlikely compered to project which use c#,python,java.

I urge you to focus you effort into rewriting weidu into popular language like c#,python,java etc I don't know you technical background but if this is beyond something which you can do by yourself, then ask community for help. Maybe there are developers who love IE games and they are willing to put their time into such rewrite. We will never know until you ask.

[Mike1072]

Ain't nobody got time for that.

[Wisp]

No. If you are a good enough programmer to make meaningful contributions to WeiDU you can likely become conversant in OCaml in a day to a week. Languages are easy if you are already familiar with the underlying concepts (so admittedly it can take a bit longer if all you've ever done is imperative programming). More time would be required to become familiar with WeiDU's code base, but that would be true regardless of language.

If I get hit by a bus and no one takes over WeiDU it's because the intersection of people who can program and who are interested is empty, not because there's a large corpus of people who'd be willing but who are stumped by the language.

[Almateria]

Getting hit by a bus is preferable to rewriting a program into Java.

Just saying!

[Wisp]

Getting hit by a bus is preferable to rewriting a program into Java.

Just saying!

I feel like I should high-five you, or something.

[AL|EN]

I disagree, no one is choosing OCalm as first language and noone will learn it only to support one project because the knowledge of OCalm will be no use for them except weidu. Just image for second that weidu is written in python/c# (let's skip java if it sux so badly) - because you are active maintainer, the entering curve would be ten times lower than learning OCalm, learning how IE works, learning weidu code and finally start contributing. I disagree but I'm not gonna push this forward - nobody can force you to do anything with you project.

[Magus_BGforge]

I disagree but I'm not gonna push this forward - nobody can force you to do anything with you project.

No one can stop you from rewriting it in python, either. If the supposed contributors are not up to that task, then their supposed contributions won't be worth it.