: * needs to be portable if it is to reach a large audience;
: * does not make heavy processing demands;
: * can't be released in source format (because most authors feel that
: letting players read the code would spoil the game for them).
: Thus interpretation is an ideal solution.
...wouldn't an interpreted language require having the source code
availiable, a' la BASIC? AFAIK, interpreters make more demands on the
computer than compilers because of run-time parsing and evaluation and
such... or is something in my basic assumption wrong, there?
If you are making your argument for compilation to an intermediate
non-machine-specific code (the Z-machine, TADS .GAM, P-code, &c) then
that statement makes perfect sense... but, actually, wouldn't that be a
compiler?
--r.