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From: jsl@potomac.UUCP (John Labovitz)
Newsgroups: net.micro.mac
Subject: Please post sources!
Message-ID: <3066@potomac.UUCP>
Date: Sun, 13-Oct-85 00:09:01 EDT
Article-I.D.: potomac.3066
Posted: Sun Oct 13 00:09:01 1985
Date-Received: Tue, 15-Oct-85 05:48:28 EDT
Organization: Potomac Scheduling Co., Bethesda MD
Lines: 45

For all you people out there who write programs and release them publicly
(on USENET, CompuServe, etc.), could you please think about posting the
source code as well as the binhex'ed version?

I have an XL, which is notorious for not running some programs, and crashing.
It would help immensly to have source code, so I could see why it was dying,
or to even fix it.

I think I've seen no more than 3 or 4 sources posted, out of hundreds of
binhex postings.

When I used to use CP/M (long long ago...), it was VERY uncommon to post
only object code.  In fact, most people would not even THINK of releasing
programs without code.  After all, if you've got to be careful about what
you run on your machine.  I've gotten a few programs that I didn't know what
they did, and didn't have the source code.  Since I use hard disks, it's
just *stupid* to run these things without knowing the consequences.
(Remember the big thing about the "arf-arf" programs?)

Do programmers think that they can sell their programs later, so don't want
to post source?  Or are they just scared that someone will resell the
program, or call it their own?  Most of the programs posted are not that
good (he said bluntly).  You couldn't sell them for more than $30 or so, if
that.

The main reason I would like sources is this: I find it *very* difficult
programming the Mac.  The documentation sucks, setting up a simple
application is horrendously complicated (SimpleTools helps a lot (thanks to
Erik Kilk!)).  If I sit down and write something (seemingly) simple, it's
bound to take at least two hours to get it running.  I *still* have not
gotten my terminal program running.  If people would release their source,
all those neat hacks and simpler ways of doing things would help us novice
programmers get started!  This is the way the CP/M world worked, and there's
no reason why the Mac can't work the same way.  Even if you program in
Pascal, and I use C, the concepts are the same.

Please give this some thought.  I'd like to hear opinions and flames
(besides, I love getting mail).
-- 
John Labovitz		..!{rlgvax,seismo}!bdmrrr!potomac!jsl
--
"Daddy, it's the man with the lightbulb head!"
"Avert your eyes from his gaze, junior, and we may yet be safe."
"But daddy, it's you!"
"It's too late -- I've come to turn you on!"	-- Robyn Hitchcock