Re: The future for AppleScript
Re: The future for AppleScript
- Subject: Re: The future for AppleScript
- From: has <email@hidden>
- Date: Thu, 10 Feb 2005 22:43:40 +0000
Roger Howard wrote:
I think Martin's point is fairly clear. If a non-scriptable app is to
support Automater, then which would be easier:
1) Build out proper AppleScript support,
i.e. 1. Add an Apple event interface.
and then build Automator support on that...
There is no 1a. You just write your Actions in any language that can
send Apple events.
2) Build Automator support directly, bypassing AppleScript.
You mean: use something other than an Apple event interface. For IAC
there's also Unix pipes, which aren't nearly as powerful, or
Distributed Objects, which Apple have already shuffled off into a
corner preferring to give Apple events top billing as the IAC
mechanism of choice. For non IAC-based solutions, shared data files
are one option, though there are limits on what you can do with
those; another is to make your application core a self-contained
Cocoa framework, but I really doubt commercial application developers
will want to release such frameworks for third-party use.
Whatever solution application developers decide to use, they will
always have to weigh pros against cons. What features do they need?
Who do they want to use it? Apple events are a good IAC system with
plenty of power and broad appeal, so should easily hold their own as
long as they're packaged and presented to developers in the right way.
What really matters is whether or not Tiger will manage to knock the
kinks out of Cocoa Scripting, improve its documentation and do
whatever else it can to make Apple event support easier for
application developers to adopt. Plus - most importantly of all, IMHO
- Apple also needs to find a new marketing strategy that finally
breaks away from selling Apple event support as "for AppleScript
only". While Apple event-based IAC is a killer technology, its
long-time (mis-)association/conflation with the AppleScript language
has been a passion killer for many professional programmers; the very
folk it needs to appeal to the most!
I'm optimistic. I really believe Automator has the potential to
finally drag Apple events out of the AppleScript ghetto and into the
developer mass market. And if it does: watch out, 'cos you ain't seen
nothin' yet! <g>
Cheers,
has
--
http://freespace.virgin.net/hamish.sanderson/
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