RE: copy & set statments
RE: copy & set statments
- Subject: RE: copy & set statments
- From: has <email@hidden>
- Date: Mon, 22 Oct 2001 17:07:59 +0100
Doug McNutt wrote:
>
At 01:27 -0700 10/22/01, Ted Wood wrote:
>
>Sorry, did my best. =) I've been away from AppleScript for awhile and
>
>now I'm studying C++. Thanks for straightening me out.
>
>
You are not alone. How anyone can believe that "natural English" is easier
>
than
>
x = a;
>
x = *a;
>
x = &a;
>
is absolutely beyond my ken. Do other AppleScripters always feel that
>
they are guessing? I don't think I have ever guessed correctly the
>
first time.
I dunno about that. C to me looks like it was typed on a keyboard where
only keys 0-9 are working and the shift key's gotten stuck down... ;)
Now, assuming that I knew neither language to begin with, I think that
given line of C and a line of AS, I'd guess the latter correctly well
before I ever got the former. I won't claim it's easier to write, but for
non-programmers at least (and perhaps even for real coders too?) it's
certainly easier to read. (At least enough to grasp the general purpose.)
Whether a concise, rigid syntax is easier for_experienced_ coders to read
and write than a more verbose, flexible one I honestly don't know (i.e.
once the C programmer knows what all those symbols mean and the AS user
understands how to form a bunch of words that'll compile).
Mostly though I think it comes down to what you're *already* familiar with.
There's very little that's truly intuitive about either.
I'm sure there's some good arguments for C's approach too. However, AS does
have one important advantage that C and most others don't: for folks that
aren't natural-born programmers, it sure looks WAY more approachable and
friendly. Getting over the initial "WTF is that!?!" bump and into it is
much, much easier. I got into AS through occasional tinkering (recording a
script to reset desktop icon positions; that sort of thing). I would never
have gotten into C in the same way - it looks far too scary and complex for
someone like me to casually approach.
Cheers,
has