Go placidly among the system data areas and hardware vectors, and remember what peace there is in a total system crash. As far as possible, be on good terms with page zero. Write your code clearly and concisely; and listen to the advice of others when they say that writing everything in SVC mode is a crap idea. Avoid loud and aggressive compilers, they are usually fur coat and no knickers and output horrid bloated code, and are vexations to the mind. If you compare your code with a compiler, you may become bitter; for always the code output by a compiler will defy logic, but get the job done. Enjoy your code, think carefully, and plan it well. Keep interested in your own code, however humble; it is a real elation when it does it's task properly and in the knowledge that you hand-crafted it all. Exercise caution in your programming; for the OS is full of weirdness (especially the font manager). But let this not blind you to what virtue there is in the simplicity of the ARM processor. Many persons strive for high ideals, you should too. Be yourself. Especially, do not rip off other people's code when you can't figure out why yours does not work. You learn nothing that way. Neither be cynical about the code of others, for in the face of vectors and interrupts, there is much to learn. Take kindly the counsel of the PRMs, gracefully surrendering the code that they say shouldn't be used. Nurture your code, and make it bomb-proof to shield you from the idiots that don't bother to RTFM. But to not distress yourself with imaginings. Many fears are born of trying to make a RISC OS 2 only utility fully 32-bit compliant! Beyond a wholesome discipline, be gentle with yourself. Your code is a chunk of the universe, no less than the SWIs and the vectors; and it has a right to be executed. And whether or not it is clear to you, each bug found is another lesson learned. Therefore, be at peace with RISC OS (whatever you imagine it's insides to look like), and whatever your labours and aspirations, in the noisy confusion of a reboot, keep peace with your soul and persist. To shut down and watch the telly is a million potential lessons missed forever. With all the sham, drudgery, and broken dreams, there is still a beautiful processor. The ARM processor. Enjoy it's design. And above all else, back up regularly, whether you are programming or not! Rick Murray, 7th March 2K1
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