Dear Community, A couple of weeks ago Jacques raised a small discussion on future of MapBasic. With a certain bittersweet nostalgia I asked myself how the story is going to continue... Since the MB doesn't seem to be that chic any longer, I thought maybe I could release my notes on MBX-file format as well. I know there is plenty of delicate issues concerning the copyrights of compiled code and also some private money bound to it too. That is little strainge though, since most of us know that it is rather easy to built a decompiler and at least three of them exists too (search List Archive if you like). Also some more valuable use can be thought for the documentation. For example, currently the only compiler is the one that is provided by the Corp. and it significantly affects for third party development. Does anybody there across the ocean know where they are heading to? I naturally don't want to make enemy with them. I'm looking neither profit nor new jobs (since I got plenty) for this and consider this just as an act for creating new potential for more advanced usage. I guess the tweaking other peoples code isn't that big of a thread, since the profound slowness of a MB code forces people truly developing software to use DLL's and stuff anyway. People capable of programming it from documentation most likelly wouldn't find any usefull from the tiny snippets of code available anyway. I have never made a dime by selling program code, but I know some of you have, so basicly I'm interested to hear points of view that havent crossed my mind. If my initial idea of release is concidered terribly hostile or semi-criminal among you I'm happy to draw back this too. Please, keep the discussion open in List, if possible. Hard rock hallelujah Anssi
_______________________________________________ MapInfo-L mailing list [email protected] http://www.directionsmag.com/mailman/listinfo/mapinfo-l
