Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!uunet!brunix!rca
From: rca@cs.brown.edu (Ronald C.F. Antony)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.next
Subject: Re: Improv API and related complaints
Message-ID: <70507@brunix.UUCP>
Date: 2 Apr 91 03:54:13 GMT
References: <9103310744.AA09707@nextasy2.eecs.wsu.edu>
Sender: news@brunix.UUCP
Reply-To: rca@cs.brown.edu (Ronald C.F. Antony)
Organization: Brown University Department of Computer Science
Lines: 42

In article <9103310744.AA09707@nextasy2.eecs.wsu.edu> dwatola@NEXTASY2.EECS.WSU.EDU (David Watola) writes:
>from the inspector panel.  in any case, this API disk is vaporware...
>the release note makes it sound like all you have to do is pick up the phone
>and you've got your API disk in a week.  i called lotus and they said it
>was not available-they would send me a postscard describing it (wonderful).
>john corey from next told me they don't have it either.

I was told it would be available within 4-6 weeks. Also there is not
only messaging but also the possibility to dynamically link code into
Improv. This should solve most problems. If it doesn't then you are
probably better of writing a new application anyway.

>in general, i think improv is pretty slick.  but i also believe lotus is so
>smug about their revolutionary spreadsheet interface that they don't see how
>they have crippled the program with some of their limitations.  for all its
>ease of use, it is certainly not as functional as 123.  easy-to-use formulas
>are not as good as macros.

I know. There are also a couple of things wrong with how they handle
summary functions. But considering it is a 1.0 version and something
completely new, it's ok. Lotus is working on macros though.

>majority of 123's use across the country.  Face it, 123 gets used for
>EVERYTHING under the sun.

I know a person that wrote a graphical user interface in 123 by using
xy-plots and connecting lines. It's sick... Sure, 123 can simulate a
Turing machine. Maybe someone writes even a C-compiler for 123 (I mean
c2-123 not 123-2c)?  :-)

>more arbitrary limitations:  how come i can't plot 2000 data points?

This has probably to do with how they used postScript. There are
limits on the size of arrays. But then again look at the PostScript
code produced by WingZ. Well you better don't. It looks awful.


Ronald
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"The reasonable man adapts himself to the world; the unreasonable one persists
in trying to adapt the world to himself. Therefore all progress depends on the
unreasonable man."   G.B. Shaw   |  rca@cs.brown.edu or antony@browncog.bitnet