Very similar to mine -- also started with TRS-80 Basic, then Z80 assembly.

Windows is a necessary evil for me, as several apps I need are only=20
available for that, plus the customers I would want to use these apps=20
are generally Windows

Yes, time is money, which is why I'm veering away from tools that have=20
me chasing down community-created libraries. I knew Javascript quite=20
well, but that was over a decade ago and for client-side web=20
processing.  It has been a while for me, but I'm having a hard time=20
envisioning it for apps.  Can it be compiled into a standalone app?

Cheers,
-Neil.



On 11/5/2015 3:53 PM, James Cameron wrote:
> Great question, Neil.
>
> As a programmer, my transitions were TRS-80 Basic, Z80, Forth, Fortran
> on VAX/VMS, Cobol, C, and then UNIX, and almost every language that
> the various UNIX flavours have.
>
> I've _never_ owned a Microsoft Windows system, but once or twice did
> have to target the platform professionally.  That knowledge is way out
> of date, but the general principles for build tool chains can still be
> followed.
>
> 1.  be wary of closed tool chains; the APIs are often faulty, never
> fixed (because of the closed nature), and you can waste days on simple
> things, or you are forced into relying on a user community, which can
> be great if there is one and has no barriers to entry,
>
> 2.  paying for it is fine, but if you feel you'll be chasing up the
> tool chain vendor with questions, don't forget to cost your time as
> well as theirs, and if your initial estimate of what you'll need exceeds
> the cost of the license and support, perhaps you're paying too little,
>
> In terms of language and environment choice, the only cross-platform
> language for both desktop, laptop, and handheld computers today is
> JavaScript.  The language has come a long way since it first appeared,
> and is now production capable.
>
> Your application could be in two parts; one part manages the serial
> connection, the other part provides the user interface.
>
> Suitable searches; "javascript serial port".
>
> I've not taken this path yet, but in the current market that's the
> path I would size up.  I'd give myself about two weeks to do it right.
>

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