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From: david@ztivax.UUCP
Newsgroups: net.lang
Subject: Modern Software Tool Interface
Message-ID: <7900002@ztivax.UUCP>
Date: Fri, 7-Mar-86 04:11:00 EST
Article-I.D.: ztivax.7900002
Posted: Fri Mar  7 04:11:00 1986
Date-Received: Sat, 15-Mar-86 18:34:16 EST
Sender: notes@unido.UUCP
Lines: 42
Nf-ID: #N:ztivax:7900002:000:1672
Nf-From: ztivax!david    Mar  7 09:11:00 1986

A more general interface to software tools is needed!

Any system should have at least one language with which it is easy 
(convenient) to build software tools.  That is clearly one reason UNIX
is so popular.

C on UNIX is nice because programs are always loaded with argc and
argv on the stack: main(argc,argv).  This makes it clearly obvious how
to handle command line arguments in a software tool.

Now we are seeing the emergence of window/icon/mouse oriented systems.
These do not support the paradigm of writing tools using command line 
arguments in any intuitive fashion.  Instead: pop-up menus (I thought
pop-ups were cold munchies bought by kids from the ice-cream man),
other icons, descreet values, etc are used by the USER to control
programs.  Somehow, a general interface between these things and the
implementing software should be supplied.

Right now I am using a Xerox Tajo system which is a super version of
the system Apple subsetted to make the Mac.  Menus, windows, mouse,
symbiote menus, ...  Lots of nice stuff.

The problem is, the interfaces to all these nice features are via
strongly typed libraries.  All program interfaces are set at compile
time.  No way to simply build quicky tools (like using pipelines in
UNIX) and still take any advantage of all the gimicks - or any
gimicks, for that matter.

Yes, you can write a new tool to interact with existing tools fairly
easily.  But you must compile it that way.

Perhaps these interfaces are too complex to ever be used in the same
way as pipes in UNIX.  However, I think it CAN be done, or else I would 
not be trying to do it!!

Any suggestions???


david smyth

seismo!unido!ztivax!david