Being able to invoke shell scripts from lingo would also make it possible
for developers to extend Director with the C language and generic tools,
instead of being forced to learn all the complexities of Macromedia's open
architecture with CodeWarrior and/or Visual Studio (the only two
development tools supported by the XDK).
It's a whole lot easier to learn to write a UNIX executable from scratch
than it is to ascend the himalayas of Xtra development.
At the moment I'm running a PERL script (launched from a projector) which I've "compiled" (using Perl2Exe) for DARWIN/UNIX. Creating the same functionality using Lingo or creating an Xtra (fogettabowdit) would've been much more time/labor-intensive than writing the PERL - and if it were implemented in Lingo, likely a good deal less efficient. PERL/shell script method is the way to go for me since I don't have the stones to attempt mastering the XDK. (Perl2Exe makes it a bit easier on Windows since you can compile natively for Windows [i.e. launch the compiled script like any other windows app]...on Mac OS X there is [currently] only the option for Perl2Exe to target DARWIN/UNIX ).
I'll have to see if zScript provides a more streamlined solution for me (than my previous method of launching an AppleScript --> containing a 'do shell script' --> to launch the PERL executable ---> exchanging data using text files, etc.,etc.) ...particularly on letting me know when a UNIX application has "returned" (without having to "print" a value somewhere to be checked in a loop 'til the process is complete.).
Joe
Brennan
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