Programming on a cell phone?

#1 It doesn't even have to be Java. Is there ANY programming language that has a compiler or IDE for use on a cellphone?

Thanks!

#2 I've seen a Lua-based environment for Palm once, I think. A phone is not good for development for a lot of reasons. Most phone environments aren't set up so that you can create programs directly on them anyway.

#3 I know a cellphone is not designed to do this. I know a PC/MAC/Desktop is MUCH better suited for this, but I don't have access to a full size computer. Since I have my cellphone with me ALL THE TIME, I just want to be able to do some simple programming on it.

I know I won't be doing any 3D games, but maybe old-school Atari 2600 style, like Pac-Man, Space Invaders, or Tetris.

$750 for iTorque is beyond my financial budget right now, and it doesn't actually run ON the iPhone anyways. It runs on a PC.

I'll look into Lua for Palm. If I can write Palm games, I might be able to put them on my old Palm-IIIc.

Thanks for the help!

~Tony

#4 OK, someone over at GameDev.net suggested using VNC with a remote PC. Access the remote PC by cell phone VNC (virtual network computing), have the remote PC do the compiling, and then transfer the compiled file back to the phone.

Its not exactly what I wanted, but it would be an acceptible option if my phone was VNC capable, and if I had a PC to use as a remote compiler...

Keep the ideas coming!

Thanks!

#5 The Windows version of LUA doesn't run on Windows Mobile (Lua for Windows and it's modules all depend on the MSVC++ 2005 runtime library).

http://code.google.com/p/luaforwindows/

#6 What phone are you referring to? Theres a good number of ways, iPhone , android, J2ME (regular phone types, huge market saturation), its all right there.

cellphones can do 3d games too, get :

a) Netbeans (with mobility pack)
b) ???
c) Profit.

Its java, and it supports lots of phones and templates for phones.

#7 I'm currently using a Motorola Q9C, but its about 3 (?) years old, so I'm going to have to update it soon.

Thanks for the NetBeans info. It sounds great, but I can't download it to my phone. JavaScript must be enabled to dl it, and my cellphone doesn't support JavaScript.

#8 If you really want to do this, I would check out that new HTC phone with the 1Ghz processor- otherwise you'll be waiting a year for your compiles to get done ;)

#9 The HTC Droid Incredible sounds, well, incredible, but at $600, I may do better with a cheap 10 inch 'NetBook' or smaller . . .

www.amazon.com/Fujitsu-LifeBook-U810-Mini-Notebook-fingerprint/dp/B000W8ZS0M

Or better yet, ASUS N10J-A1 with a "dedicated 3D graphics chip" (GeForce 9300), although its a whopping 10.2 inches. Much larger than a cellphone.

laptopadvisor.blogspot.com/2009/04/top-10-best-small-laptops.html

Maybe cell phones just aren't ready for programmers yet.

#10 J2ME is the largest global mobile market and supports downloadable games on a billion phones globally; it eclipses iPhone. The book J2ME Game Programming is the bible, I recommend it. J2ME is great for beginners and pros and Wells has great examples. Tip: use eclipse, not sun one for your IDE.

#11 Just an update:

I picked up a copy of "iPhone Application Development For Dummies" at a garage sale this weekend for a dollar, so I may end up with an iPhone.

I was also thinking about bypassing the cellphone completely and going straight to an ASUS eee netbook with built in Skype. Small, compact, very portable, better CPU for programming/compiling and I can make calls on it, too.

So, lots of ideas still floating around. Thanks again for all the help from everyone!

~I3D

#12 Update: More ideas that came in.


RPGMaker may have a mobile version out there, but so far I can only find a German website, and I can't read German.

The other thing I've been looking for is an existing mobile game that has an in-game editor so I can simply MOD an existing game. Not as cool as writing my own, but at least its a start.

Thanks again gang!

~I3D

#13 Well, I got the Evo the week before last, and that thing is *fast*. There's a Notepad like utility freely available for Android, and if you don't mind not actually doing any compiling or debugging, you can type to your heart's content on it.

Actually, I might try that myself for .cs files- my train rides in the morning are like 45 minutes, though the Kindle reader is keeping me busy with the AI ebooks I've been buying....

#14 @Ted - I know it's off topic but it's something I've been dying to know. I'm looking into getting a Kindle for similar reasons. The comic book nerd in me wants an iPad for obvious reasons. What are your experiences with your Kindle?

#15 @Ray: Well, it's the Kindle reader on the Evo, but I use my phone to read every morning and afternoon on the train now ;) It's not quite as nice as a book, since the screen is still smaller than a paper-back page, but it's pretty handy, and lightens my pack-load.

I also got the file system browser and text editor installed today, so I spent the train ride typing out a few paragraphs of a content update for my site. You'd have to turn off the (sometimes annoying) spell check/word completion features to do it, but script editing should be just as easy, and you can drag and drop the files via USB.

#17 Bump:

So I've just been using the text editor to write lines of code/scripts, and I transfer them to a PC whenever I can, but I'm still looking for a phone that can have actual games written ON it.

Any new ideas come up over the last year? New IDE's or new concepts?

Thanks!

#16 Hey check out the resources section. There is actually a way to run torsion on your iphone or ipad. Its genius, check it out.
That will get you through all of the programming, but as far as sprites, art, etc your gonna have to do those on a computer

#18 Any updates on this? How well does Torque run on an iPad? I currently only own a license for TGE1.5.2 but if T3D runs on an iPad, I'd upgrade.

Comments?

Thanks!

#19 Instead of programming on your target device (phone or tablet), I would really recommend using a PC or laptop.

If money is an object, you can find really cheap hardware on eBay if you're willing to use something 1-3 generation old.

#20 On the iPad, theres an app called "Codify" which you might find interesting.

The link: twolivesleft.com/Codea/