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From: akm@cacofonix.cs.uoregon.edu (Anant Kartik Mithal)
Newsgroups: comp.windows.ms
Subject: Re: Windows-the interface that may never happen...
Summary: developing on the mac is cheaper, better and easier
Keywords: application development
Message-ID: <1990Jun7.182341.27093@cs.uoregon.edu>
Date: 7 Jun 90 18:23:41 GMT
Expires: 06/20/90
References: <4ad6ea11.20b6d@apollo.HP.COM> <318@caslon.cs.arizona.edu>
Sender: usenet@cs.uoregon.edu (Netnews Owner)
Reply-To: akm@cacofonix.cs.uoregon.edu (Anant Kartik Mithal)
Organization: University of Oregon Computer Science Dept.
Lines: 38

****Note: I am *NOT* trying to start a Mac vs PC/Windows debate***

For my research, I am trying to develop some software simultaneously
under windows and on the Mac. The major difference I see is that (and
someone mentioned this before in this thread) is that the interface is
integrated into the development tools on the Mac. By this I mean that
application development software that you buy for the Mac run within
the Mac environment as well as creates executables for the
environment. Take, for example Think C or Think Pascal. (Not endorsing
them, just using them as exemplars.) They run under the Mac OS, and
you are always in the environment you are developing for.

Under Windows, the major development tool is MSC 5.xx+ together with
the SDK. To compile for Windows, I need to drop down to DOS (and its a
long way down...). I find that a really unsatisfactory state of
affairs. 

So, I'm hoping that people will start writing compilers that will run
under windows, and will primarily (only?) produce code for windows. If
they are integrated, like Think Pascal and the Turbo C/Pascal etc
stuff, that will be an added advantage. So, when I do a malloc, it is
the sort of malloc that Windows understands, and I don't have to
concern myself with the many ways that I can use C routines to mess
Windows up. That would probably mean a compiler that can generate
routines only for Windows, but that is fine.

Meanwhile, I will check out Actor, which is the only thing that
I currently know of that fits the bill. Wonder if Symantic and company
are thinking of putting out development tools for windows? Someone
sent me email saying that DIgitalk was putting out a Smalltalk V for
windows.

Kartik

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Anant Kartik Mithal					akm@cs.uoregon.edu
Department of Computer Science				akm@oregon.BITNET
University of Oregon