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From: chuq@sun.UUCP
Newsgroups: net.micro.mac
Subject: Re: MacTutor Considered Harmful
Message-ID: <6307@sun.uucp>
Date: Tue, 19-Aug-86 00:45:04 EDT
Article-I.D.: sun.6307
Posted: Tue Aug 19 00:45:04 1986
Date-Received: Wed, 20-Aug-86 05:28:52 EDT
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Organization: Fictional Reality, uLtd
Lines: 43

> Finally, I want to say something about MacTutor as a whole.  I like the
> magazine because it does provide listings and sources, etc.  I have noticed,
> however, several articles that describe questionable Macintosh programming
> techniques, such as this problem with menu defprocs.  

I feel like adding something to Larry's comment here.  I subscribe to
MacTutor, but I keep trying to convince myself to get rid of it.  Why?
because they are, frankly, sloppy.  I don't trust their articles OR their
code.  I can't remember when the last issue that didn't have some kind of
errata or bug fix in it was.  They typography and layout is ragged (little
things like comments wrapping around to the next line, for instance), the
issue tends to have a number of spelling errors, and in general I don't
think MacTutor does a professional job of presenting their material.

I was around when your only choices were Mactutor and Macworld (ugh!).  Back
them, IM was in the phone book (mine was actually looseleaf) adn the rest of
the Mac books were gleams in the author's eye.  MacTutor was the cutting
edge of hackerdom. When you'r spending all your time trying to come up with
information and you are playing to a small and intense audience, that's
fine.  Mactutor is trying to be the programming magazine for the rest of us,
though, but they haven't taken the time to doublecheck they work, clean up
their act, or really think about their audience.

I can look at a piece of code and see that the programming is shakey.  What
about the person who just bought a Mac, picked up lightspeed C, and starts
typing it in?  He may not even OWN IM yet.  how is he supposed to tell good
code from bad code?  Mactutor isn't writing at the edge of the Mac anymore
(in my eyes) ytet they also aren't protecting the novices from themselves.

I find it hard to recommend macTutor to people anymore.  buy a couple of
good Mac books instead.  Like the Huxam C book (Hi, fred!) from Sybex.  If
you must read macTutor, I echo Larry -- buyer beware.  The code is sloppy,
and it isn't even neccessarily good.

chuq
-- 
Chuq Von Rospach	chuq%plaid@sun.COM	 Delphi: CHUQ
		{decwrl,hplabs,ihnp4,seismo}!sun!plaid!chuq

Do not be arrogant because of your knowledge, but confer with the ignorant
man as with the learned.... Good speech is more hidden than Malachite, yet
it is found in the possession of women slaves at the millstones.
							-- Ptahhotpe