Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rpi!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!mips!pacbell.com!news.arc.nasa.gov!lll-winken!unixhub!stanford.edu!neon.Stanford.EDU!torrie From: torrie@cs.stanford.edu (Evan Torrie) Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga.advocacy Subject: Re: De-macification of the Amiga (Re: The Amiga's Future) Keywords: Future, Amiga, etc. Message-ID: <1991Jun24.064001.7130@neon.Stanford.EDU> Date: 24 Jun 91 06:40:01 GMT References: <1991Jun22.020815.233@Sugar.NeoSoft.com> <95@ryptyde.UUCP> <1991Jun23.145612.16729@Sugar.NeoSoft.com> <1073@macuni.mqcc.mq.oz> Sender: torrie@neon.Stanford.EDU (Evan James Torrie) Organization: Computer Science Department, Stanford University, Ca , USA Lines: 38 s8105119@ipc04.mqcs.mq.oz.au (Gary Kevin MAKIN) writes: >In article <1991Jun23.145612.16729@Sugar.NeoSoft.com> peter@Sugar.NeoSoft.com (Peter da Silva) writes: >>Shared libraries are basically utility routines, like the ones in the Mac >>ROM and system file, but loaded on demand by the programmer. >Not entirely true. The Mac does have a real equivalent to shared libraries, but >I know of noone other than Apple using them. These are called Packages on the >Mac. Apple uses packages for all sorts of things: the disk initialization >routines, the List manager, Standard File package, floating point, >transcendental functions, apple events, help manager, etc. Using the Mac's >"shared libraries" every program since 1984 has been able to use the same >routine to ask the user for the file to open! Yes, but Apple has limited packages to at most 16, since the _Pack traps are actually separate trap numbers, and only 16 trap numbers are set aside for packages, all of which Apple has reserved, and is now using with System 7. So, it's a general mechanism for Apple to provide shared library like code, but not for other developers. Apple has not really published a standard for shared code like methods, although some developers have published methods for accessing their core code (for example, CE Software with their QuicKeys engine, and Aladdin with the Stuffit Engine technology). Now, with AppleEvents and IAC being promoted as a standard, I can see essentially any application being capable of being a "shared" library. [since that's the whole point of IAC - getting other applications to do your work for you]. People can write faceless applications, which just accept AppleEvents, and return responses. -- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Evan Torrie. Stanford University, Class of 199? torrie@cs.stanford.edu "Apes evolved from creationists" - seen on a bumper sticker.