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From: rbl@nitrex.UUCP
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac
Subject: Re: Need Info about SideKick 2.0 & V.I.P.
Message-ID: <535@nitrex.UUCP>
Date: Wed, 23-Sep-87 08:54:09 EDT
Article-I.D.: nitrex.535
Posted: Wed Sep 23 08:54:09 1987
Date-Received: Sat, 26-Sep-87 16:48:58 EDT
References: <524@atux01.UUCP>
Reply-To: rbl@nitrex.UUCP ( Dr. Robin Lake )
Organization: The Standard Oil Co., Cleveland
Lines: 28

In article <524@atux01.UUCP> jlc@atux01.UUCP (J. Collymore) writes:
>  ...
>
>Also, what is your opinion on V.I.P. (Visual Interactive Programming) by
>Mainstay?

I have had a copy of V.I.P. for several months.  I think it is an incredible
way to "program", once you figure out the strategy.  For example, in trying
my first program  --- one that will 'subtract' two MacPaint images  ---
I decided to use one of their example programs as a model.  VIP will
generate a dependency tree (what calls what) and I used that as a roadmap
to inspect each routine, write the switch() parameters onto the roadmap,
and deduce that the strategy was to use selection from the menus to fire
off various actions.  I don't have much time for this activity, but less than
an hour for a new utility with a language I've not used before seems pretty
good  --  but maybe HyperTalk will be better when I try it.

VIP's manual is complete, but not easy to use.  Think reference manual, not
tutorial.  Their recent upgrade (2.2) added some very nice features.

I heard that they will be bringing out a new version that will generate
C code for various C compilers.  If that comes about, a Mac with VIP could
be a very powerful workstation front-end to VAXen, etc!


-- 
Rob Lake
{decvax,ihnp4!cbosgd}!mandrill!nitrex!rbl