Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!lll-winken!lll-lcc!ames!ucsd!rutgers!gatech!dcatla!dxjsb
From: dxjsb@dcatla.UUCP (Jack S. Brindle)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac.programmer
Subject: Re: MacTutor gripe!!!
Message-ID: <6940@dcatla.UUCP>
Date: 19 Jul 88 14:42:00 GMT
References: <730043@hpcilzb.HP.COM>
Reply-To: dxjsb@sunb.UUCP (Jack S. Brindle)
Organization: DCA Inc., Alpharetta, GA
Lines: 63


	Ted Johnson writes:
> Is anyone besides me getting frustrated at the lack of LSC (or at least
> MPW C) examples in MacTutor?  

Now that you mention it...

> The last 2 (or was it 3?) issue haven't had any C articles!!!  
> Isn't C the language of the 80's, as well as the most popular
> Mac programming language?

Well, at least I have been using it almost exclusively for several
years now. Most of my programming-type friends are using it, too.

> However, they *do* consistently have Forth (gee, how many of us use that?), 
> Basic, asm, and Pascal articles.  Pascal I can cope with, but Basic and 
> Forth are pretty useless, as far as I'm concerned.  Sure, I can usually 
> pick out the algorithm that the author is explaining, but this is a lot 
> less useful than just typing in the code verbatim and using it in my 
> LSC application.

I'm not sure I can go along with that. Yes, I generally skip the BASIC
articles. They generally cover end-user topics and how-to-do-it-in-BASIC
type of things. I do find it absolutely amazing the things that these guys
are able to do on the Mac in BASIC. Kind of makes one wonder if maybe we
crusty C types should re-evaluate BASIC.
But, Although I don't program in FORTH, I DO read Jorg's articles. He
writes pretty well. Well enough that I understand what is going on. His
disk driver articles were a lot of help. In fact, he has written a lot
of stuff that many readers have found both interesting and useful. He
programs in FORTH for the same reason I program in C; BECAUSE HE WANTS TO.
There is another point. He contributes to the magazine!

> If others agree with me, why don't you let MacTutor know? I'm writing a
> letter to David Smith (the publisher/editor), at:
>
>        MacTutor
>        P.O. Box 400
>        Placentia, CA 92670

Yes, please do write. Only first write a program and article so that you
will have something meaningful to put in the magazine instead of a flame
about the lack of whatever you might want to see published. I bet someone
would actually like to see some MS-DOS articles put in the mag (well, 
using an AST card...) The point is, David can only publish what he has.
If he gets only Pascal/BASIC/Forth/... articles, then that is what he
publishes. Writing letters won't help out if he has no articles. The best
thing to do, then is to write an article using the techniques or topics
that you wish to see. I'm sure that David will accept the articles if you
mail them to the above MacTutor address. He might even pay you for them.
But unless they get written, he certainly can't publish them!
   There is one small problem with writing articles for a magazine. The
issue they are published in is both exciting and a letdown for the writer.
On the one hand, your article is finally in print! Thousands of others
will read the info you worked hard to write. (This is actually quite neat.
I recommend everyone writing an article to experience this). The letdown?
Well, you have already read the article. So that is one less thing for you
to read from the magazine...
i   So rather than gripe about the lack of your favorite article, DO
SOMETHING ABOUT IT! How about it...

> -Ted

Jack Brindle