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: Helmut Fuchs <email@hidden>
- Date: Sun, 23 Sep 2001 03:44:27 +0200
I can tell you why I really _hated_ learning AppleScript and nearly
gave up. There's so many (on first sight) illogical restrictions,
that it can be very difficult for a novice to grasp why one thing
works while another doesn't. It's far away from being "orthogonal" -
leaving the emotion "hey, I'm dumb - I thought it worked like this,
but it doesn't".
Why is it, that I can't use filter reference forms on my own lists?
Why can I set a property of every object of an application, whereas I
can't on my own lists? Why is "exists" limited to application
properties?
Those things - to mention a few - FEEL very awkward and it takes a
lot of time until one begins being familiar with the dos and don'ts
of AppleScript.
AppleScript would be far easier to get in touch with, if this wasn't.
On the positive side is the fact that I've never found it easier to
mingle with the innards of running applications. It's a pity that the
dictionaries of many applications are only half-hearted
implementations of the power that could be achieved.
Helmut
P.S. Apple had a very beautiful programming language/environment
called "DyLan" in the works. It went the OpenDoc way. Just like
NewtonScript, the programming language of the Newton, which was VERY
logical, easy to learn and of a completeness that AppleScript can
only dream about. All three technologies are sorely missed over
here...