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From: johnm@spudge.UUCP (John Munsch)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga
Subject: Re: Learning C on the Amiga --- A Survey
Keywords: survey, C, Amiga
Message-ID: <2170@spudge.UUCP>
Date: 22 Jul 89 18:00:28 GMT
References: <15255@watdragon.waterloo.edu> <644@godot.psc.edu>
Reply-To: johnm@spudge.UUCP (John Munsch)
Distribution: comp
Organization: Friends of Guru Bob
Lines: 39

I think one of the most helpful things for people who are trying to program
the Amiga, whether they know C or not, would be a set of shell programs that
demonstrate all of the basic functions of a complete Amiga program.

Note that when I say "shells" here, I MEAN shells.  I don't think that people
should have to wade through 1/2 meg of code that has nothing to do with what
they want to do in order to get some menus put up or automatically create an
icon for their output files.  I know it would have helped me considerably to
have a set of programs that demonstrated:

	* Creating two or three windows on a custom screen and taking
	  keystroke and mouse input from each (with output to the appropriate
	  one in each case).

	* Example code for having icons created at the same time that files
	  are written out.

	* Handling of scrolling text in a window with a scroll bar.

	* A set of input dialog boxes that have examples of all the various
	  input gadgets they could want or need for their own programs.
	  Listboxes (multi and single select), radio-buttons, buttons,
	  checkboxes, sliders, static text and static images, text input
	  gadgets.  If each is coded with a rip-me-out-and-put-me-in-your-
	  code philosophy then you'll have lots of happier beginners.

These shells could each show separately how to do individual aspects of Amiga
programming and another shell could put all the pieces together with a basic
"PUT YOUR CODE TO DO X HERE" type of approach to help people get something
up and running.  Make it fancy later.  Let them get something that works
without grief first.  People learn more from showcase (by that I mean "coded
by the book") code with every statement having error checking and the program
having logical steps and breakdown than they ever will from magazine articles
and books.

Shell programs were everywhere when I worked with the Mac, why aren't there
a million shells for the Ami?

John "Let them eat code..." Munsch