Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!bonnie.concordia.ca!thunder.mcrcim.mcgill.edu!snorkelwacker.mit.edu!apple!well!oster
From: oster@well.sf.ca.us (David Phillip Oster)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac.programmer
Subject: Re: SuperCard VS. ThinkPascal/TCL
Message-ID: <23064@well.sf.ca.us>
Date: 9 Feb 91 14:39:37 GMT
References: <1647.27B01608@stjhmc.fidonet.org> <88084@tut.cis.ohio-state.edu>
Organization: Whole Earth 'Lectronic Link, Sausalito, CA
Lines: 28

Does Supercard allow you to define recursive data structures? For example,
this is the C for a binary tree whose left and right children are also
binary trees:

typedef struct BinTree {
	struct BinTree	*left, *right;
	Ptr contents;
}BinTree ;

Remember that THINK C, C++ or object Pascal give you access to modern 
software development technology. You get class inheritance and data 
abstraction. By comparison, Hypercard has almost no facilities for 
abstract data types.

In hypercard, globally visible procedure must be in the script of the home 
card of the stack. This is a single "file" limited to at most 32k. I
am guessing that SuperCard has the same limit.

In C, C++ or Pascal, you can spread the globally visible procedures
across many files, and have much more than 32k bytes of them. Multiple,
small files, each with some consistency of topic are easier to maintain
than one giant home card script.

I am happier writing the kinds of programs I write in C or Pascal than in
Hypercard.
-- 
-- David Phillip Oster - At least the government doesn't make death worse.
-- oster@well.sf.ca.us = {backbone}!well!oster