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Socoder -> On Topic -> I'm Trying BlitzMax for the first time

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This used to be a substantial post by User_Left but the content has been deleted.
Wed, 16 Jul 2025, 09:06
Pixel_Outlaw
 		There is a lot of missing documentation in BlitzMax (and NG which is the only one that's not dead).
It is best to learn a tool like grep to dig through the source .bmx files for answers on how things with missing documentation work. (This is another excellent reason to use open source stuff.)

Oh I should also mention that grep on Mac is missing a lot of features so GNU grep is best on any OS.

From a pure language standpoint, the other Blitz languages are more primitive than NG - even the newer ones like Monkey X.

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This used to be a substantial post by User_Left but the content has been deleted.
Wed, 16 Jul 2025, 23:09
Pixel_Outlaw
 		Well, don't let the lack of a community deter you if a language is good.
The very best thing you can do when learning a language is read the whole spec.
That way you get an idea of the big picture of the language.
You don't have to understand everything, but it gives you an idea of the capability.

I guess I've learned C++, Clojure, Python, Scheme, and Prolog without a community but I've also just got books for a nice tour.
That was the guiding I needed to avoid gaps.

It's a bit harder with BlitzMax.
The documentation is thin so you have to quite often grep through the source code for the IDE to see how things are used.
The community is also getting thinner compared to 2006.
I dropped it something like 13 years and then spent a month relearning it and exploring the new features in BlitzMax NG.
I would say I've outgrown BlitzMax, it's fun for quickly putting some graphics on the screen but it's not a very strong programming language overall.

It does make multimedia nice though. However, that's a library concern - not part of the language itself.

And for small hacks and games it's just fine.
You can of course ask on the forum and I'll try to answer if I see something.
Best to try first then ask.

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