Re: AppleScript, HTML and Other Topics...
Re: AppleScript, HTML and Other Topics...
- Subject: Re: AppleScript, HTML and Other Topics...
- From: Richard 23 <email@hidden>
- Date: Fri, 26 Jan 2001 02:25:30 -0800
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As a newcomer to this list, I'm not sure how appropriate this post is...
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my apologies in advance if it's deemed off-topic or self-interested.
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I'm a novice scripter with no hard programming or networking experience
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whatever and I could use advice and/or ridicule from some pros.
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Last spring, I 'discovered' a way to launch AppleScripts (aplt) from
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links on an HTML page... without the use of an additional background
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handler app, enabler or extension. The Device that achieves this is an
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AppleScript droplet. It also permits similar use of KeyQuencer
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stand-alone apps and may (though hasn't been tested) work with others
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(such as Frontier or Perl).
I experimented with the idea as well. It used a method as simple as
making up a MIME type and assigning it to be handled by a script applet
which simply did a run script on the text passed to it.
I was disappointed to discover that inline script tags ignored my
seemingly compliant
<script type="text/applescript">
display dialog "wow, inline applescript!"
</script>
html tags and instead would only pass the contents of text files
ending with the "scpt" extension which I had set up to be associated
with the MIME type "text/applescript".
It's still an interesting idea and I was planning on still possibly
doing some things with the execution of AppleScript from the browser
in a very limited way.
Personally I would be a little hesitant to allow unknown scripts to
run via the web because unlike JavaScript which has been painstakingly
and mercilessly butchered and hobbled to prevent security threats, and
not always successfully, AppleScript has no such restrictions.
I'm not willing to offer up my System file and my entire file system
voluntarily to be modified by rogue applescripts written by some
malicious little punk who gets some sort of perverse thrill from
the thought of anonymously wreaking havoc on other people's systems
and I doubt too many others would be thrilled by the idea either.
It's a great idea that I'm sure many have experimented with but the
amount of damage that could potentially be done to and the cost of
losing data for the sake of running a few scripts is just too high.
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I got as far as setting up a web site and had a good deal of
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encouragement from both Bill Cheeseman and Ray Barber (as well as mention
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and links at both of their respective sites)... then waited for (global)
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response. It was underwhelming to say the least. I basically abandoned
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the project (an act for which I genuinely apologise to both Bill and Ray,
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if they're lurking somewhere nearby).
Hey I know the feeling but you've got to realize there's a whole
world of websites and ideas competing for people's attention. Most
of them happen to in some way involve Britney Spears, porn, or both!
How does one compete with that?
Also you only need to check out the sometimes fascinating often downright
silly ideas registered by the US Patent office to see how hard it can
be to go from having a great idea and knowing that you do...to getting
others to agree and accept it!
Or the story of Elisha Gray who invented the telephone around the same
time as Bell, only Bell got his registered first so we don't talk about
Gray much anymore.
I know none of this seems related to your better mousetrap but if you
really believe in your idea you can't let a little apathy destroy your
own enthusiasm. Even if it's a little lonely at first being right...
Maybe not a popular view but I think people en masse can best be
understood with the application of herd theory. If you think about it
I think you'll understand what I mean. If nothing else it's easier to
get a cheap laugh that way.
Nobody wants to be first but you get a couple of cows to start moving
and you've got a stampede on your hands (ouch). I saw this time and
again when I worked in a mall restaurant. Really slow...then all of
a sudden you have 40 or 50 people coming in the door. They sit around
grazing on salads, make the occasional complaint, leave pitiful tips
and scuttle out. Then all is quiet until the next cattle call.
Fascinating to watch. But I wouldn't go back!
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I offered The Device as a run-only, time expiring example. Perhaps
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because I'd immersed myself in it for so long, I had come to think of it
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as a "Big Idea"... and didn't want anyone running off with all the
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unhatched chickens.
Right there is enough to turn off a big chunk of your potential
audience. And it's already an elite group of people. Let's face it,
it's a Windows world anyway. I hate it, you hate it. Then there's
the Mac faithful...of those how many people even know AppleScript,
which many of us find so enjoyable and powerful, exists? We're
talking a very small group of people indeed.
This list server is a world-wide-everyone's-welcome-to-come-in forum.
How many people are registered to recieve digests or email from
this list...maybe a couple of thousand? Considering the potential
pool it draws from, that's a drop in the bucket.
I write a lot of script. AppleScript, Perl, JavaScript and of
course various markup (ok that's not script whatever). When I was
first learning how I downloaded a lot of scripts because working
examples are often more useful than any tutorial no matter how smart
a windbag may think he is, myself included! But when I got an
AppleScript that was run only it ran right into the round file.
My perception of a script whose author has found it necessary to
hide the source code was it can't possibly be that good! I haven't
gotten desperate enough the start jumping through hoops for the sake
of a little information which I can probably get on my own.
I've got a lot of "great" ideas too. But sometimes it's hard to
give the stuff away. I try anyway. Not for glory (well maybe).
Just because I like to write script. I guess that makes me a chump.
So be it.
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I'm reassessing that attitude now, and would like
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very much to hear if there is any interest among seasoned scripters.
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Also, some discussion as to the pros and cons of offering it as open code.
The possible benefit is you might get people to try it, maybe even
interested in it. Otherwise it's a little lonely at the top.
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There is one huge caveat to use of The Device... the desktop must be
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rebuilt every time a new AppleScript (or batch of scripts) is
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'registered'. If anyone can show me how to - effectively (by whatever
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means) - rebuild or 'refresh' the desktop file without a restart, The
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Device would become instantly more user friendly.
Maybe I could take a peek or give you some info about the approach I
took. Although it's the "American Dream" it's not enough to have a
good idea. You can't have one and expect the money to come beating
a path to your door. I wish it were really that simple.
Get Britney or N'Sync to endorse your project and you won't be able
to beat them off with a stick...!