>I've been following the Revolution lists because it is the closest >thing available to Hypercard but I've been exploring all the >alternatives because I've come to believe the dominate opinion that >Hypercard and things like it, are not real programming environments.
Hi Kee, I think you'll find you can use your HyperTalk experience to leverage a shorter learning curve and produce better apps than starting over with a new programming paradigm. If you let "the dominate opinion" take precedence over your own experience, 1. you're setting yourself up for frustration and 2. you're guaranteed to lag behind current technology. If the platform allows you to realize your creative specifications in a manner that is acceptable to you (and your customers if your output is commercial), it is a real programming environment. It's a tradition in the industry to downplay the competition by slamming it categorically. 1. "COBOL is for business applications, FORTRAN is for scientific applications." The MIS I created for Oakland Police Department was criticized in a consultant's report (written after I had left without ever consulting me) because it was programmed in FORTRAN instead of COBOL. The consultant didn't bother to mention that OPD's Computer-Assisted Dispatch System, the front end to MIS and programmed by Boeing, was also written in FORTRAN. Despite this grievous choice of programming languages, the system was used daily for over 15 years. 2. When I worked in my first "mixed" environment, many of the people who used PCs looked down on Mac users saying "a Mac is not a real computer." I believe there are still those who would try to make a case that Macs are not suitable platforms for business despite the number of successful business & governmental Mac installations. 3. "Put a mouse on it, and a PC is just as good as a Mac." Standard IBM sale approach...in the days when most PC software didn't know the mouse existed. 4. "Xtalk platforms are not real programming environments because..." Refer the next person who says that to you to me, and I'm foole enough to think I could ask a few questions and suggest a few points to ponder and leave that person questioning whether they should ever make that assertion again. ...Though I must admit the perception was originally instigated by Apple so as not to scare "ordinary people" from using HyperCard. -- Rob Cozens CCW, Serendipity Software Company http://www.oenolog.com/who.htm "And I, which was two fooles, do so grow three; Who are a little wise, the best fooles bee." from "The Triple Foole" by John Donne (1572-1631) _______________________________________________ use-revolution mailing list [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://lists.runrev.com/mailman/listinfo/use-revolution
