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From: thomsen@spf.trw.com (Mark R. Thomsen)
Newsgroups: comp.lang.objective-c
Subject: Re: Stepstone have classes/objects for NeXTstep?
Message-ID: <28348395.3358@deneva.sdd.trw.com>
Date: 18 May 91 01:29:56 GMT
References: <35220@athertn.Atherton.COM>
Sender: news@deneva.sdd.trw.com
Organization: TRW Inc., Redondo Beach, CA
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David Williams writes
  In article <282B0654.364F@deneva.sdd.trw.com>, thomsen@spf.trw.com (Mark
  R. Thomsen) writes:
  <skip stuff>
  >No. Stepstone does not sell their IC Packages on NeXT.
  <skip more stuff>
  Gee thats unfortunate, considering NeXT is the only hardware platform that
  has Objective C as the centerpiece of their whole product. What would be
  nice is if Stepstone would take the NeXT development that much further and
  layer a visual design/programming version of Objective C. I mean why stop
  at laying out the GUI via direct manipulation? Why not do the same for the
  underlying messages & methods as well?

Yes, well Stepstone thinks this is unfortunate too.

Objective-C is a means to their ends since they want to make hay by building
and selling reusable components. A 'Software IC CAD' system makes some real
sense as a goal for them. I don't know if they are doing anything with this
but the guys I spoke with are smart enough that I would hazard they have
thought a lot about this. It smacks of visual programming (not a high
reputation field) but then graphical CAD to design a circuit one gate at a
time would have had a bad reputation if they were already at the 1 micron
densities in silicon land.

Oh, and NeXT has not really bought Objective-C hook, line, and sinker. It is
a means to their ends and, while it is heavily used, their new development
environment supports C++ as well. They are not going to fight the public
tides when that wastes energy relative to their goals. They are not out to
sell Objective-C platforms; just platforms.

Mark R. Thomsen