On 2017-07-28 18:34, Richard Gaskin via use-livecode wrote:
A sense of smooth liquid flow is the hallmark of modern UI. If support for this were limited to one widget that requires JavaScript, we might as well use the other tools you mentioned above.
This is simply not true. All tools have their limitations, all tools have things they are good at and things that they are bad. All tools have things they can do, but make it so hard to do so that you can't really consider using them for it. In most other endeavours in life we don't use a single tool to achieve a goal (to be slightly glib - you can only get so far with DIY on your home with JUST a hammer) - so why do we absolutely expect this of software development?
Right now JS/HTML5/CSS etc. has the edge over LiveCode in creating these rich UIs. Now, to be honest, the acceleratedRendering mode of LiveCode (which has been around for years) is no different from the underlying tech in browsers which allows such UIs to be done. The problem is that is merely the lowest-level piece. No-one (including us) has every leveraged it to build a framework like that which we see in the standard browser stack - they could, it is perfectly possible - it just has not happened. (Admittedly some of the low-level features we are adding to AR mode in due course will make this easier but not really something which could not be achieved before if you worked hard enough).
So Swami's approach is the pragmatic one. Use the browser for the things it is (currently) SUPERIOR for, but use LiveCode for everything else. Each tool on its own is good, but when joined together they become great.
This is exactly the angle we have taken with LiveCodeForFM. For 20 years, FileMaker has been focused on making an easy to use tool which makes building database apps (particularly focused around solving BUSINESS problems); in contrast we have been focused on making an easy to use programming language and app building environment. We've tried to solve slightly different problems, so what each tool can do intersects a good deal, but mostly does not.
Overall: In isolation, either are good. However, when you put them together they complement each other very very well and the combination becomes great.
Fortunately it seems some of the work needed for the DG update will help with some of this. Related, Jacque's request for swipe transitions was well received, but oddly its status was changed to "Hibernated": http://quality.livecode.com/show_bug.cgi?id=20141
That is the standard process for all enhancement requests. They are HIBERNATED until we have the time to evaluate and prioritise - if we were to do anything else, we would end up never getting any work done - and work we are doing right now is, quite frankly, always more important that work that we might do in the future.
Also, that particular request really doesn't in anyway explain how it might work ( sorry Jacque :( ) or, indeed, what that syntax is meant to do - so that one has an extra step before moving forward. Actually understanding what it is actually about and, indeed, if it even makes sense.
There's a huge chasm (I'm mentioning a lot of those lately) between an idea, and an actionable idea, and then a huge chasm again between an actionable notion and an implementation. (Btw, chasms generally require either money or time to cross - or both - it isn't ever that they cannot be crossed).
Whilst it might seem that LiveCode's evolution moves at a glacial pace at times; it is important to note that when compared to other 4GL tools (one mentioned above is a good one) out there (and indeed other dev tools in general) we are actually moving at tachyonic pace. Part of me thinks that we should perhaps slow down a bit (even if just a little).
Warmest Regards, Mark. -- Mark Waddingham ~ m...@livecode.com ~ http://www.livecode.com/ LiveCode: Everyone can create apps _______________________________________________ use-livecode mailing list use-livecode@lists.runrev.com Please visit this url to subscribe, unsubscribe and manage your subscription preferences: http://lists.runrev.com/mailman/listinfo/use-livecode
