15.2 Programming languages

Before moving onto python if you are searching for a computer language to use with ROM hacking there are a few requirements although for the most part they do not need to be fast unless you are dealing with compression and complicated search functions although even then with people tending to have multi core processors in the gigahertz range as long as it works within two orders of magnitude of a “fast” language you can probably get away with that too. On the matter of open source unless you are required to do it (using a GPL program as a base for yours for instance) there is no real stigma attached to keeping sources closed in ROM hacking circles (most ROM hackers that build tools are no strangers to making a piece of spaghetti code to get the job done that is no use to anybody learning or anybody looking to further/adapt your works) although open source is always welcome and encouraged (file formats and data/ROM structures on the other hand tend to want to be shared).

  1. Must be able to open any file. This usually counts out the likes of SQL and other database type languages, maths and statistics focused languages (R and matlab for instance) and other field specific programming languages (avisynth for instance). It might be possible but it will be a headache in the long run.
  2. Must be able to do binary manipulation (shift and rotate down to a 1 bit level and include boolean logic (AND, XOR, OR, NOT….). Some languages do not do well here but most of those are usually discounted thanks to the point above. Equally it is better if all this comes as a standard function in the language or the basic/standard libraries of it as having to make your own is not going to be fun.
  3. GUI making should be relative easy. Command line tools are great and if possible do include command line options (you never know when something is going to want to be put into a batch file) and you could always build a wrapper in another language if your program is command line only but if you can use it to build a GUI as well as the above points you probably have a good pick for a language.