Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!cs.utexas.edu!rutgers!mcdchg!chinet!patrickd
From: patrickd@chinet.chi.il.us (Patrick Deupree)
Newsgroups: comp.windows.ms
Subject: Re: Windows Shareware
Keywords: shareware, conventions, community
Message-ID: <1990Aug24.151038.7218@chinet.chi.il.us>
Date: 24 Aug 90 15:10:38 GMT
References: <10297@life.ai.mit.edu>
Organization: The Whitewater Group, Evanston, IL
Lines: 33

In article <10297@life.ai.mit.edu> rpk@rice-chex.ai.mit.edu (Robert Krajewski) writes:
>Of course, for a Windows do-gooder, there are some obstacles right at
>the start.  The Windows market will surely dwarf the Mac community
>within two years, but its community spirit doesn't compare, given the
>nature of what PCs are usually used for.  Microsoft doesn't make it
>easy for the little guy; there aren't many fora for the transmission
>of Windows programming folklore.  There's nothing like Think C or MPW;
>DOS sux as a programming environment.

Now, not being much of a mac person due to the fact that I could not stand
being forced to use a Windowing environment, I may be wrong but aren't Think C
and MPW produced by third party developers (meaning Apple did not create
them)?  See, you have to keep something in mind here.  If Apple is going to
make a $1400 or so sale, it's easy for them go give you a cheap development
environment.  I mean, after all, they make the hardware and the software.
Microsoft is just selling software (Windows 3.0 at $150).  It's not as easy
for them to give cheap development software.

Now, as far as third party development tools, just because there are no
inexpensive development tools now does not mean there won't be some in the
future.  Maybe the people who produced Think C will make an IBM version (this
is purely speculative).  You just never know.  The point is, it has
traditionally been the job of a third party to create easy and/or cheap
development tools for an environment created by someone else.

(As a final note, you're right, Dos is a lousy programming environment.
However, in my book, Windows makes it more interesting and gives it more
potential.)
-- 
"Organized fandom is composed of a bunch of nitpickers with a thing for
 trivial pursuit."  -Harlan Ellison

Patrick Deupree ->	patrickd@chinet.chi.il.us