Path: utzoo!mnetor!uunet!husc6!cmcl2!brl-adm!umd5!uvaarpa!mcnc!decvax!tektronix!reed!psu-cs!smethers
From: smethers@psu-cs.UUCP (Paul Smethers)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac.programmer
Subject: Re: Advice for starting programmers...
Message-ID: <549@psu-cs.UUCP>
Date: 11 Mar 88 10:02:01 GMT
References: <42507@sun.uucp> <23091@ucbvax.BERKELEY.EDU> <42814@sun.uucp> <940@PT.CS.CMU.EDU> <526@psu-cs.UUCP> <1044@PT.CS.CMU.EDU>
Reply-To: smethers@psu-cs.UUCP (Paul Smethers)
Organization: SmethersBarnes
Lines: 37

>Prototyper sounds interesting, but reading between the lines seems to suggest
>that it is for developing a _simulated_ program (for developing a user
>interface) rather than for building reasonably fast applications in 
>Prototyper itself. Is this the case? Can you, for instance, use the serial
>ports in Prototyper? Could you write a videodisc driver in Prototyper and test
>it interactively? It's easy in Forth :-).

You are right, Prototyper concentrates solely on the User Interface.  Its
only functionality is the user-interface (i.e. buttons invert when
clicked, menus select, and lists scroll), and the menus and buttons can
be linked to cause other windows to appear.  Other than that, the only
additional functionality can be added by generating the source code and
modifying that code.

In terms of "reasonably fast applications", that is according to if you
consider a Pascal program "fast".  Prototyper generates good, usable code,
but it does not generate assembly or Forth.

>
>User interface programming needs all the help it can get on the Mac, and
>Prototyper may do a wonderful job of it, but this is no way detracts from
>the value of coding interactively in Forth, either. Programming wouldn't 
>be nearly as much fun if it didn't involve these deep religious issues!
>

Glad to oblige

>-- 
>Nicholas Spies			ns@cat.cmu.edu.arpa

Paul Smethers
SmethersBarnes

>Center for Design of Educational Computing
>Carnegie Mellon University

(ex Carnegie Mellon University)