Phil Davis
Sat, 23 Sep 2000 10:19:45 -0700
Wow! Great post! And to think I was *just* getting ready of saying he never contributes... ;o) Phil [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: > > In a message dated 22/9/00 8:40:35 am, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: > > <<I've just downloaded the MetaCard starter kit, and had a bit of a look at > the demo, and quite frankly it impressed the hell out of me. What I'd like > now is a few ideas on how I might put this thing to good use. If anyone has > any great ideas or tips on how make the most of MetaCard, please respond (on > or off list as you prefer).>> > > This is an easy question, that doesn't need great scripting skills, so i'm > gonna jump in so no one can accuse me of never contributing to the list. > > The limitations, such as they are, are likely to be mostly in you, not > Metacard. I am very much a part time scripter, who was taught Algol 26 years > ago at school. Since then i have just tinkered about, never working in IT, > but never able to leave it alone. I discovered MC with absolute > delight.....I hack it about like a third rate Hypercard scripter (which is > what I am).. Its fast fun forgiving and flexible....and baffles other RAD > users...I don't mean in terms of scripting, i mean in terms of producing > something so professional looking so quickly. . So, if your starting point > is like mine, just do the same, and have fun. > > However, a huge chunk of the MC consituency come from neighbouring worlds > where things are different. They do really clever stuff and write on the > list about the Windows Registry, sockets and cmds. I guess some even make a > living out of it. I read this stuff in the vague hope that by some kind of > osmosis, it will pass into my mind and start to make sense. (Other threads > are just a delight, despite being alien to your own interests. My all time > favourite was the discussion about displaying Japanese in fields.) > > The fact that you were impressed means that you had the vision to perceive at > least part of the potential of the tool. I guarantee that it is even better > than you now think......but you'll have to discover those little treasures > for yourself.....they are different for different folks. (although the > greatest AHA! for many, including myself is when you work out how groups in > MC are so much more powerful than backgrounds in Hypercard) > > I wasted a lot of time to start with trying to convert the many Hypercard > stacks i had accumulated over the years. In many ways the > Hypercard/Supercard legacy is a hindrance as much as a help. True you get a > boost with the metaphor and a fair bit of scripting, and old books on > scripting can still come in handy, but there are lots of old habits and > perceptions that get in the way too.......not least in the prejudice that > exists out there against anything that is even a distant relative of > Hypercard. > > My advice would be to think of a project and have a go at making it > work.....even if you already have something that does the job in Visual basic > or Hypercard.. Chances are you can do it easier and better in MC....and just > think of the buzz when it works cross platform! (Probably more fun for Mac > users, I guess.) > > Happy scripting. > > David Glasgow > > Archives: http://www.mail-archive.com/metacard%40lists.best.com/ > Info: http://www.xworlds.com/metacard/mailinglist.htm > Please send bug reports to <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>, not this list. -- Phil Davis ----------------------------------- [EMAIL PROTECTED] days: (503) 417-7930 eves: (503) 557-5656 ----------------------------------- Facilitator Essentials of eBusiness Computing Information Technology Institute http://www.iti.com Archives: http://www.mail-archive.com/metacard%40lists.best.com/ Info: http://www.xworlds.com/metacard/mailinglist.htm Please send bug reports to <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>, not this list.