Hello Richard, Monte, and y'all, > What in FreeGUI has earned your recommendation > to devote time to working on it? > I haven't played with it much since last year, > so I may well be missing something.
For a die-hard HyperCard user forced to endure MC/RR's complexity, FreeGUI is the best interface for the MC-engine. In *most* regards, FreeGUI is identical to HC, including : menubar, dialogs, background behavior, the message box' behavior, etc. In fact, it is so close to HyperCard's GUI because our original aim was to 'clone' HyperCard as-is. But even in the early stages, we began integrating some key MC features that we wanted our 'HyperCard' to have: native colorization, custom properties, a richer set of properties, and several other gems. So our aim became to take advantage of as much of MC as we deemed appropriate and in a simpler more HC-like manner that preserves the simplicity and elegance of HC while masking the complex aspects that HC users don't want to bother with. There was a plan to port FreeGUI to Rev and, as I have pointed many times, Rev users are legitimately allowed to help develop FreeGUI with Rev, but other priorities have inexorably taken precedence over this port to Rev. It is not a BIG deal to do so, since MC & Rev both use the same engine, but these GUIs are somewhat dissimilar when it comes to the specifics. Ex: the metacard menubar is in the "mctools.mc" stack ; I'm betting that Rev has a different setup. I have not been able to port FreeGUI to Rev, but anyone in our group (btw 75+ members) is welcome to do so. I am presently focusing my efforts on the development of the XML-based file-format of FreeCard. This work will merge with FreeGUI when I'm done scripting the mass-export of all of the components of FreeGUI to our XML file-format. FreeCard will be able to parse, process, store its info, properties etc... via its Java underpinings, because the interpreter of our xTalk scriptingLanguage (FreeScript) won't be completed yet. A friend of mine which is a Java expert, specialized in compiler/interpreter design, will be joining our team soon. The formal syntax (+ spec) of our FS scriptingLanguage is already done, albeit we are likely to make some changes before going to press. So, as you can, FreeGUI development has "languished" but there is still a lot going on to make FreeCard a reality that everyone is going to *flip* over! :)) FreeCard will be able to import stacks from HC, SC, MC and Rev. There will be a script to port everything over without requiring any user intervention. The FC team is familiar with the specificities of each one of the GUIs and differences in their scriptingLanguage, in order to make the port as effortless as possible. Runtime will be glad to hear that the FC-engine will be open-source and .. here's the kicker.. FC could support Rev's GUI as well as the MC-engine does now, which means that they could choose the engine they wish at any time, without jeopardizing their business. If FreeCard becomes better, then use it without any strings attached. Might sound premature at this point, but.. you never know! ;-) Runtime/Kevin will also be glad to hear that FreeGUI will never be a clone of Rev. Bolstered by an engine which will provide us with a rich diverse set of new features, FreeGUI is going to be 'exquisitely unique', radically different from Rev. Diversity is GOOD! :)) > What in FreeGUI has earned your recommendation > to devote time to working on it? I have worked a LOT on it. Hundreds of hours. One work experience fellow which I trained and managed. I have also contributed a lot of help to my fellow xCard fans on several lists. I hope (but I don't expect) that this has earned me some consideration from my fellow xCarders which, in turn, might be inclined to 'reciprocate'. The goal and the means are clearly 'noble' as well as in the best interest of many xCard fans. And.. it is *possble*, albeit many sympathetic lurkers may not be as confidant about this as I am. That's life! Meanwhile I do what *I* can to make it happen. It's the best anyone can ever do. > I haven't played with it much since last year, > so I may well be missing something. Thanks for the 'nod', Richard. At least there is still some doubt in your mind as to the relevance & progress of FreeGUI/FreeCard. As I pointed out in this letter, FreeGUI hasn't progressed much lately, but it works!, with MetaCard, and it could work with Rev if someone endeavours to make it so. All my 'free' time is being invested in FreeCard, at the moment, with results that will bear fruit in the near future. :)) Stay tuned folks, Alain F __________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! SiteBuilder - Free, easy-to-use web site design software http://sitebuilder.yahoo.com _______________________________________________ metacard mailing list [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://lists.runrev.com/mailman/listinfo/metacard