Re: What's the biggest barrier to wider AS adoption?
Re: What's the biggest barrier to wider AS adoption?
- Subject: Re: What's the biggest barrier to wider AS adoption?
- From: Jon Pugh <email@hidden>
- Date: Sat, 22 Sep 2001 09:29:46 -0700
At 8:12 PM +1000 9/22/2001, Timothy Bates wrote:
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>> Michael Sullivan wrote:
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>> Applescript is no way, no how ... completely intuitive.
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>But Rich Reardon replied:
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> Yes...unlike the syntax of, say, HyperTalk, which I could wrap my mind
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> around quickly.
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Could you give a concrete example? I find the AS syntax to be more straight
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forward than Hypertalk, so I would love to hear the alternate viewpoint.
I think the key difference is the AppleScript keyword extensibility. HyperTalk has a limited set of keywords. This makes it possible to have a single book with all the language constructs in it. Personally, I just used the Help stacks. They were invaluable.
Nevertheless, AppleScript changes with every program, or so it seems to the beginner. In truth, AppleScript has a limited vocabulary, which is documented very well in Danny Goodman's AppleScript Quick Reference, which is available here:
http://www.dannyg.com/recentprogramming.html
It is the myriad programs which all implement things differently that causes most people's problems, that and the inability to think like a program. It's kind of brutal to say it, but some people simply can't program, or script for that matter.
Even with that caveat, AppleScript *is* annoying. As an experienced programmer, I try to write as little AppleScript as I can. This means I have little programs called by other scripting systems, which in my world is HyperCard and OSA Menu. They run most of my scripts, although I do use a number of script applets, including a rather massive FaceSpam application.
Being able to include AppleScript in HyperCard, along with HyperTalk's superior string handling, makes it still immensely useful.
I'm going to miss it.
Jon
Ah damn, I've gone and got all weepy again. ;(