[long] RE: [rant (and it is on topic - it's about Applescript)] Upgrade to 9.2, any advice?
[long] RE: [rant (and it is on topic - it's about Applescript)] Upgrade to 9.2, any advice?
- Subject: [long] RE: [rant (and it is on topic - it's about Applescript)] Upgrade to 9.2, any advice?
- From: email@hidden
- Date: Tue, 15 Jan 2002 19:11:21 EST
On January 15, 2002 (pronounced twenty-oh-two, BTW), jk espake thus:
>
If there WERE a rant to be found in all this, it's that it seems that Apple
>
has given up supporting AppleScript (imho one of the coolest and most subtle
>
technologies) for OS 9.x, outside of cursory maintanence.
I agree completely, and I am sorry I hadn't made that point more clearly in
my rant. Applescript is what I truly value in MacOS, and what I really wish
would get the serious resources (Good Heavens, iPhoto isn't even scriptable).
Chris Nebel, Chris Espinosa, Sal Soghian, et. al. are great, but they need
support from the top. They need to be higher on the food chain in Cupertino.
>
I think that OS X and its transition technologies such as Carbon are feats
>
on par with the 68k->ppc transition.
This is NOT the comparison you want to make. The 68k-->PPC transition was a
massive foulup which almost killed Apple. This myth must end. Even Gil Amelio
owned up to it several years ago. If that is the standard to which Apple is
being held we're in serious trouble.
>
Well, you could always turn on your Apache web server. I'm sure there must
>
be a way to incorporate OSA scripts in Apache via cgi.
Yes, if I wanted to buy OSX Server. The hobbyist has no opportunity to use
Applescript CGIs in OSX - the cost of entry is now $400 (WebSTAR V) and up. I
am not a hobbyist, and I may actually buy OSX Server, but there are so few
scripters doing CGI with Applescript that the talent pool will dry up
completely without them.
>
If not, someone could write an Apache module to do just that -- I don't
>
think it would be that hard.
Apple did write one, but it's for OSX Server only. Tenon bailed on doing
their own ("just buy OSX Server"), and any other party's attempt to connect
Apache in OSX standard to Applescript CGIs might well be a hack or kludge to
which I would not trust my mission critical work. The solution must come from
Apple, or at least be actively supported by Apple.
<plea>
Please, please, please - Apple (Eric Zelenka, can you hear me?) - offer the
CGI connector for Apache as a standalone or free product. You're killing a
valuable tool with your current marketing plan.
</plea>
>
Or re-write your cgi scripts in C or perl; I've been told they are
>
faster and safer than AppleScript anyway.
That would be a huge commitment which I am not prepared to take on, and it
misses the point. For several years now, having been told that Applescript
would play a prominent role in OSX, I have been planning and allocating
resources with the expectation that, with a few tweaks, my cartHandle
(that's TM) 100% Applescript Shopping Cart system will run fast and solid on
MacOSX, and I would have a serious, marketable product which can be extended
by other scripters. As it stands, this plan is hamstrung by 2 things:
1) No Apache connector for Applescript CGIs
2) No parse/lookup field/pack CGI functionality (like Tanaka's osax, ACME
Parse args).
These are really the *only* 2 things necessary to implement a CGI anyway,
which is why I said they're in effect being killed off.
<OT>
>
> All I have wanted for the past 6 years is a Mac that won't
>
> crash and that behaves predictably.
>
Well, I can't quite vouch for the latter, but I know its getting there. But
>
I have yet to have OS X itself crash on me -- I've had apps galore blow up
>
and spew and die, but they've never affected any other open applications.
I have personally seen 5 dead in the water unrecoverable crashes with OSX,
PLUS individual apps crash constantly PLUS Classic refuses to quit and
requires a force quit PLUS the UNIX file system is (I'm told) subject to
serious corruption if the system is power cycled (whereas the classic MacOS
file system is amazingly resilient to such torture). In practice, OSX is
significantly less stable than MacOS 9.1.
</OT>
My point is your point. I want more from Applescript (and MacOSX). Much more.
And I need reassurance that Apple's priorities match ours.
<snip>
Jeff Baumann
email@hidden
www.linkedresources.com