re. bundling [was: Re: How to work with XML data using System Events?]
re. bundling [was: Re: How to work with XML data using System Events?]
- Subject: re. bundling [was: Re: How to work with XML data using System Events?]
- From: has <email@hidden>
- Date: Wed, 2 Nov 2005 12:38:11 +0000
pete boardman wrote:
>MacOS X is stuffed with third-party scripting
>stuff, but it's all for the benefit of eg Ruby and Python scripters.
That's pretty normal for a unix[-based] OS. I think saying that it's 'stuffed with third-party scripting stuff' is a bit misleading though. While Apple bundle the standard Ruby/Python/Perl/Tcl language distributions, they include hardly any third-party extensions to them (wxPython, PerlObjC). What's notable is that these other languages include pretty extensive standard libraries to begin with whereas AppleScript does not, but that's another topic.
>Are there good technical reasons why Apple don't bundle some of the
>useful scripting additions with the system?
Technical, no. Licencing and liability would be my guess - i.e. who has control over the bundled additions. Apple are very particular about what they bundle with OS X. Third-party resources like Python, Ruby and Perl are mature, robust, independently supported, and - crucially - available under very liberal open-source licences. Whereas I suspect the great majority of third-party osaxen fail on at least one of those categories, particularly the last. For Apple, the cost vs. benefit ratio just isn't there.
When Apple do cut deals to carry closed-source third-party software, I think it's more as a promotional deal and tied to specific hardware lines for a limited period of time. e.g. My old PowerBook came with specially licenced copies of GraphicConverter, OmniGraffle and OmniOutliner bundled, other hardware and OS releases don't. That's not a suitable model for bundling language extensions though, where their inclusion needs to be permanent and universal.
/2c
has
--
http://freespace.virgin.net/hamish.sanderson/
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