Xref: utzoo comp.sys.mac.programmer:5082 comp.sys.mac:28619
Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!ncrlnk!ncrcae!ece-csc!jnh
From: jnh@ece-csc.UUCP (Joseph Nathan Hall)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac.programmer,comp.sys.mac
Subject: The USENET Macintosh Programmer's Guide
Keywords: Programming Guide
Message-ID: <3966@ece-csc.UUCP>
Date: 17 Mar 89 17:50:09 GMT
Organization: North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC
Lines: 87
Followups-To: comp.sys.mac.programmer

OK, judging from the responses thus far, I am confident that this thing
CAN fly ...  I've heard from several people who are willing to contribute
and a larger number who are willing (eager?) to "test" the material.

I would like to solicit draft submissions.  Here are the proposed terms:

The UMPG will be PUBLIC DOMAIN.  There will be no copyrights and any and
all material may be reprinted or reused for any purpose whatsoever.  Authors
agree to relinquish all rights to the material submitted upon the final
distribution of the UMPG to the net.  (Until that time, they will retain
all rights to their text and source code.)  All authors will be credited as
accurately as possible.  We will do this project as a public service to
Macintosh programmers, whether they be amateurs or professionals.

If anyone disagrees with these proposed terms, or would care to comment on
them, PLEASE E-MAIL your remarks to me.  I will dutifully summarize and post
them.

For now, though, please include any appropriate copyright notice in your
submissions.  I will respect them and include them in any distribution of
the material for review.

Particular areas of interest are:

	* a basic event loop structure (Pascal and "C" source is a must!)
	* "C" vs. Pascal, particularly declarations of callback routines
	  (scroll tracking, etc.) and code resources (?DEF functions and
	  others)
	* how to do Mac file I/O, including startup files, file save/load,
	  examples of how to set file creator, type, etc.
	* how to set up application and document icons
	* how to print something
	* how to methodically handle menu highlighting/dimming/item
	  replacement when windows are activated/deactivated--a general-
	  purpose approach is greatly needed here
	* source code for popup menus
	* source code for hierarchical menus (this one isn't too hard)
	* source code (including an INIT) for tearoff menus, if anyone
	  has this
	* source code for a WDEF (does anyone have that circular window
	  WDEF around still?  is it public domain?)
	* source code for a modular text editor that is more powerful
	  than TextEdit--including tab support, multiple styles, etc.
	  Wouldn't have to be as complex as even old MacWrite but should
	  be enough to support, say, an editor for program text.  Maybe
	  we could rewrite and/or extend the LightSpeed MiniEdit example.
	* event loop programming in general as it relates to both the
	  Mac environment and other environments (X, for example)
	* any resource editing/building tools that are really effective
	* a set of meaningful programming standards--NOT just a set of
	  rules for indenting and capitalizing programs.  Ideally everything
	  will be written/re-written to comply with this.
	* comparisons between the different "C" environments (mainly MPW
	  and LSC) and the different Pascal environments (ditto).
	* notes for BASIC programmers (yes, there are a bunch of these!)
	* a set of useful MIDI drivers/low-level code and documentation

...and I'm sure there's more that would be useful.

I would envision distributing the Guide (whenever it's in a more-or-less
final draft form) in binhexed MS Word format.  MacWrite is a possiblity,
too, but it seems to me that Word has probably become an acceptable lowest
common denominator.  Again, email your comments to me.  Perhaps a plain
text version could be distributed as well.

E-MAIL submissions and comments to me.  I will summarize and post comments,
and will note submissions.

I will be preparing two mailing lists, one for submitters and one for
reviewers.  Please indicate which you would like to be on.  Submitters will
get everything sent to reviewers, so it will make no sense to be on both.
I would anticipate a delay of about one-two weeks before I start mailing
out stuff.

This was posted to comp.sys.mac so that everyone could see it.  Please send
followups (if you can't e-mail instead) to comp.sys.mac.programmer, so we can
spare the users and hardware guys.

I look forward to working on and submitting to this project, and I
appreciate the support I have gotten so far.


-- 
v   v sssss|| joseph hall                      || 201-1D Hampton Lee Court
 v v s   s || jnh@ece-csc.ncsu.edu (Internet)  || Cary, NC  27511
  v   sss  || the opinions expressed herein are not necessarily those of my
-----------|| employer, north carolina state university . . . . . . . . . . .