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Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!csd4.milw.wisc.edu!lll-winken!uunet!ncrlnk!ncrcae!PEDEV!rogerson
From: rogerson@PEDEV.Columbia.NCR.COM (Dale Rogerson)
Newsgroups: comp.windows.ms,comp.binaries.ibm.pc.d,comp.sys.ibm.pc
Subject: Re: Wanted: Actor, Microsoft Windows Toolkit
Keywords: actor, windows, toolkit, oop, object
Message-ID: <2512@PEDEV.Columbia.NCR.COM>
Date: 15 May 89 17:18:32 GMT
References: <1072@koko.CSUStan.EDU>
Reply-To: rogerson@PEDEV.Columbia.NCR.COM (Dale Rogerson)
Distribution: na
Organization: NCR Corp., Engineering & Manufacturing - Columbia, SC
Lines: 39

In article <1072@koko.CSUStan.EDU> robert@CSUStan.EDU (Robert Zeff) writes:
>I have applications that I would like to write for Microsoft
>Windows.  I have been told that Actor is a better alternative to
>Windows Toolkit.  I would like to hear some comments on this subject.
>If Actor is a good Object Oriented programming environment, do I
>also need Windows Toolkit?  Also, where can I get Actor and hom much?
>Many Thanks,
>
>Robert Zeff                         (209) 577-4268 work, 577-8548 FAX

	For those people who are not familiar with Actor, it is a Object 
oriented language and environment based heavily on Smalltalk.  Actor
runs under Windows and produces Windows programs.  Like Smalltalk, the tools
and environment are written in Actor and the source is included.  In fact
in you turn the environment into your application.  The main difference 
between Actor and Smalltalk is the syntax.  Actor uses a C-like syntax
making it easier to learn.  The neated thing about Actor is that it is a
interpreter.  When you change a method (procedure) you can instantly start
using it. This is really neat.  IF YOU CAN GET AN EDUCATIONAL DISCOUNT ($99)
THEN ORDER ACTOR TODAY!!!!

In theory I really like Actor, but in practice it fails.  It takes alot of
memory to run Actor.  It is difficult to bind an application, i.e. make a
stand alone program.  The smallest code size is > 75k and more realistically
about 200k.  For my applications this memory requirement is excessive.  
Actor does not do a good enough join of isolating one from Windows this makes
it more difficult to use than I would like.  Learning to program Windows is not
easy.  However, with Actor you must also learn Actor, OOPs, and Windows all at
the same time.  This is even more difficult.  

As I said before if you can get an educational discount then buy Actor. It is
fun to play with.  I use it for quick and dirty things instead of BASIC.  If
you want to write Windows programs you will still need to get the development
kit from Microsoft to really understand what is happening.

Feel free to write me if you have any questions.

-----dale
	rogerson-----