Greetings again, list.
Maybe I'm just feeling "chatty", or maybe it's because the list has been
quieter than usual. But anyway, I felt compelled to discuss this...
A PLEA FOR OS X...
According to Apple, Mac OS X is coming out late summer/early fall. Since it
will be able to run older (meaning OS 8 compatible) Macintosh programs, I'm
hoping my current MetaCard-created applications will run. But Scott Raney
had suggested at one point that MetaCard might (or was it will?) make a
version of MetaCard for OS X. Since MetaCard is looking for new features
for future versions, I thought I'd toss this into the list...
It's too soon to ask for MetaCard for OS X, but not too soon to discuss it.
I can see some HUGE advantages for MetaCard to create an OS X version.
There would definitely be more developers willing to jump on the MetaCard
bandwagon. The demand for OS X applications (and I mean those that are
Carbon compliant) will be huge, and being able to create them in MetaCard
will be huge also. People wonder if OS X will take off. It will, because
it will eventually come on every new Mac. Seen Apple's stock lately?
People are buying tons of iMacs, iBooks, G4's, etc. There has been some
debate on the new GUI ("Aqua"), but the point is moot. The Mac OS will
essentially be UNIX with a pretty Macintosh GUI on top of it. Many would
argue the best of both worlds. Many UNIX users I know would argue that
"pretty" is using two shades of gray instead of one. Just kidding! See, us
non-UNIX users can dish out the sarcasm also!
Anyway, in a totally perfect world, we'd have a beta version of MetaCard for
OS X BEFORE OS X came out. Then we'd be able to come out with OS X
applications shortly after OS X was released, which would give us MetaCard
developers a jump on everyone else. But I'll settle for an OS X version any
old time!
I know the Mac community. Eventually, and it won't take long, there will be
a snobbery about "non-carbon compliant" Mac programs. "That piece of
non-carbon compliant junk keeps crashing!" or "It'd run faster if it wasn't
non-carbon compliant." And people will think that ANY carbon-compliant
application is the coolest thing since Wonder Bread. At least for a while.
And during that while, I can make some money! And that's always a good
thing.
We can take little jabs at each other's OS choice all in good fun. But
Windows MetaCard developers will have to watch out when OS X comes out,
because the UNIX and OS X people will be ganging up on them. :) I do fear,
though, that Mac users will become huge-headed when OS X comes. They'll
feel like they've gotten their lead back over Windows. And they might be
right! Or is that just the Mac user in me?
:)
Richard MacLemale
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.
