Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!aplcen!samsung!shadooby!mailrus!wuarchive!psuvax1!psuvm!sas102
From: SAS102@PSUVM.BITNET (Steven A. Schrader)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac.hypercard
Subject: Re: "Initialize" for HyperTalk
Message-ID: <89325.165819SAS102@PSUVM.BITNET>
Date: 21 Nov 89 21:58:19 GMT
References: <1827@gazette.bcm.tmc.edu> <2371@draken.nada.kth.se>
Organization: Penn State University
Lines: 48

In article <2371@draken.nada.kth.se>, ianf@nada.kth.se (Ian Feldman) says:
>
>jgsmith@watson.bcm.tmc.edu (James G. Smith) writes:
>>
>>Dear Apple,
>>
>>   One thing I would like for Christmas is an "Initialize" command for
>>HyperTalk.  I'm tired of scripting:
>>
>>put empty into temp1
>>put empty into temp2
>>put empty into temp3
>>
>>when I could just say
>>
>>initialize temp1,temp2,temp3
>
>
>  I have to disagree with that, strongly.  The present requirement of
>  conceptually putting "empty" into a container is, how strange it
>  may sound, at least consistent with the rest of the HyperTalk syntax.
>  Replacing that with an express "initialization" of same would introduce
>  a concept that is quite foreign to the way people start up processes,
>  in coding as well as in life.  We do not, after all, initialize a car
>  before going on a journey, nor do we initialize a book prior to reading
>  it.  HyperCard is supposed to be a common man's software erector kit.
>  No need therefore to complicate matters further.  There is enough
>  complexity in the HyperTalk as it is.
>
I disagree, adding a function called Initalize () would add no more
complexity, but WOULD allow more experienced programmers a quick
initilization.  Hypertalk has a lot of functions that are available, but
adding more will not add complexity.  A good example is offset.  You
could do without it and look on your own, or if you know it is there use
it.  This would be the same as a Initilization function.  The old way
would work, but a function to make less typer also would be better ...
-------
                    Steven A. Schrader
              (SAS102@Psuvm       SAS@Psuarch)
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