>> re: final compiles: it shouldn't matter, at least as far as the >> result. ... > It would matter, obviously, or I wouldn't have mentioned it. (Hint: we > were talking Studio + Express.) ... Both have the same build ability: Marty and Wendy can both build for Mac OS X and Windows, and their apps will be byte-identical. Marty's Windows app, built in Studio on OS X, will be the same as Wendy's Windows app, built in Studio on XP.
I'm trying to involve you in considering these points more thoroughly, rather than just giving you the short answer. Byte-identical standalones are only one aspect to consider in this situation.
In fact, bringing Mary and Wendy into the picture may be a good idea, because the difference I'm trying to get you to see involves the developers and their work environment in addition to the Rev IDE and the applications produced. Imagine Marty and Wendy at work on their applications. They edit, they build...then what? (You may have to consider a few different types of people and work too--to make it simple, let's just compare me to Marty and assume he's making shareware.)
Let's take a look at Marty in his small home office room....
So, Marty tweaks and gets the Windows copy working right on his Express version, then copies the stack back to his Mac.
Then, he gets his Windows app built from his Mac and (as Martin suggested--good example) he opens it on PC to change the file format. Even if it was a small enough file to ignore that, how is he going to package the file? It depends on what Marty is using, but he may very well compress and package his Windows versions with different software (Windows software) than his Mac versions. And there may be other similar needs. So he still needs to transfer the app back to his PC.
Now, is Marty on a network? Maybe, maybe not. Since he's using Studio rather than Enterprise, let's assume maybe he's still not set up quite that well with equipment, and isn't networked. So he may transfer by internet or removable media, and the stack itself may have fit on a floppy, but the app won't, so Marty may have to take some time switching internet connections (he's just a Studio user, remember, and may be cutting a few corners) or he may have to go get a zip drive or two if he doesn't have one.
Ah...now the file is on the internet! But wait--is it the final release, or a beta? Either way, Marty may find that users report a bug or two that must be fixed right away. And he may have some problems with files or servers. Any number of things may make Marty have to go back and repeat his compiling process--and here's where the concept of workflow really begins to kick in: you don't just consider one iteration of a process; you have to consider what happens when it repeats, too. It may be repeated on the same project as well as repeated on different projects.
In fact, that's precisely the reason why Marty had purchased an Express version too (a rather ungainly and expensive combination to keep up after the initial sale price ended) to add to what was supposed to be a rather complete solution in itself. Marty's Studio version cranked out byte-identical copies of Windows apps, but Marty was developing cross-platform, so he some changes and tweaks were often needed. He used platform-conditional code, as many other developers did, and that had to tested to see if there were no bugs--and often, even when there were no bugs, he saw places for improvements to be added when testing.
If that only happened once, it wouldn't have been so bad. If it was only a case of verifying and changes were only needed once or twice a year, it wouldn't have been bad at all! But in fact, changes were often needed, and sometimes there were problems that were hard to track down and had to be tested repeatedly--each time jotting down notes and going back to try a few changes to the code, and repeating the tedious process of getting it back to the PC and opening again to try it again.
Finally, Marty had realized that his time was slipping away. His friend Wendy had told him he was getting to be a nervous wreck. In desperation, he had added an Express version and started juggling the two.
So why didn't Marty just get a Enterprise version? Is that the solution to workflow? Perhaps, but Marty bought Studio as a complete cross-platform tool within his budget. Can we blame him for doing this when he was encouraged to do so? Unfortunately, Marty's budget is still roughly the same. He and Wendy get together and look at his books--she's better with accounts--and they agree that he just can't swing it this year. Maybe next year. In fact, Wendy warns him that his finances aren't going to withstand his Express addiction much longer. Marty's sunken eyes look tiredly from his Mac, to his PC, and back to the Mac again. Is Studio a complete product? He can't deny it; it's byte-identical. But the workflow...the workflow.... Head in his hands, we leave him for the moment.
Another friend--Lee Linux--is using two Express editions--one for Linux, one for Mac. Lee had taken a look at Studio and shook his head--a somewhat lazy person who didn't fancy a long editing-testing cycle--but although it was a good area he was breaking into, there was still enough of the old attitude that a segment of Linux home users had about registering their software (although that was changing) that Lee didn't want to risk the big investment of the Enterprise edition. (Even half-price would have been a little above his head, but unfortunately, Lee came to Revolution a little too late to take advantage of it.)
So Lee was making software with Express and said, "So it has a quit screen--so what? I have a good workflow, okay? You guys look tired! How about me?" But one day Wendy, who worked in a school, actually saw a couple of people trying Lee's software at the computer lab. She moved closer and overheard one saying that she was interested in buying it the first time she looked--until she saw the promo screen when she quit. That didn't give her a good feeling about the reliability of the software. Her colleague agreed--he told her of a bad experience his friend had with some software like that.
Wendy told Marty about it on the phone. "Should I tell Lee?" she said. "I don't know," he said, "but I'll never give in. I'll never have that splash screen." He was getting that weird tone again that he had so much lately, so Wendy ended the call quickly. She was worried about Marty. Lee might have few customers, but at least his health was okay....
-- I hope that *illustrates* some of the points that have been made. :-) --
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