Re: Apple and Developers (was lots of different subjects)
Re: Apple and Developers (was lots of different subjects)
- Subject: Re: Apple and Developers (was lots of different subjects)
- From: Ondra Cada <email@hidden>
- Date: Sun, 24 Mar 2002 19:29:52 +0100
On Sunday, March 24, 2002, at 06:05 , Andrew R. Mitchell wrote:
_A flexible database-access API is *NOT* "a technology that certain
developers find key to their particular area of expertise". It is rather
a sine qua non for any environment_.
I am really not trying to start a flame war here. Actually that was the
exact opposite of what I was trying to do. I totally support EOF and
think that it's return is crucial for the platform. But based on the
arguments you're making, why are any of the following less important:
Well, I would *really* venture into saying that a database API is a more
important thing than streams or indexing.
And I guess we would easily agree in that there should be both streams and
indexing (and Dylan, whatever that is, and perhaps even MacApp though I
could find reasons against, but let's not go into *that*). What I wanted
to point out is that
- MacApp or Dylan (so far as I understand what's that) is a big loss for
those who were used to it, but no big loss for others: there are
alternative ways, which might not be appealing for those who were used to
MacApp or Dylan, but offering the same or much, much better (in case of
MaccApp) effectivity;
- Indexing is the very same thing as database access in the sense that it
*IS* needed but *IS NOT* provided; but it can be relatively easily DIYed.
Inconvenient as hell for sure, but you need perhaps a month (and quite
probably *MUCH* less) to make your own tool.
OTOH, lack of a good database support is a *VERY* important hurdle for
almost anybody who want to write almost any application for Mac OS X, and
if you wanted to rig your own EOF, be prepared for some, roughly guessed,
years of very hard work.
In short, I support all of these technologies, *INCLUDING EOF*. I'm sure
I missed several equally worthy technologies in my list, but I was not
attempting to be comprehensive. I also was not attacking EOF in any way
shape or form. If you think I was, you missed the point of my email. For
not making it clear enough I apologize.
Well, I guess we can find common point of view quite easily. What I wanted
to point out that is that the lack of a good database middleware (actually
it needs not to be exactly EOF, only that (a) EOF is the best thing which
was so far invented for the goal, and (b) Apple _has_ EOF) is much more
important than those other ones. Not for you perhaps, not for me (actually
for me, given the work I am doing just now, the lack of Indexing Kit --
you are right, that's what it was called originally, many years before
AIAT -- is much more important than the lack of EOF: the importance is
measured by the whole Mac community, which badly need database-savvy
applications, and have (and due to lack of EOF will have in future)
essentially nothing.
And again, as for Indexing Kit relative importance: of course, we badly
need indexing apps too, but it is relatively easy and not too inconvenient
to make and use one's own indexing system, as MarshmallowLibrarian and
MTLibrarian and others already proved. It is alas truly next to impossible
to do something similar for EOF replacement :((((
---
Ondra Cada
OCSoftware: email@hidden
http://www.ocs.cz
2K Development: email@hidden
http://www.2kdevelopment.cz
private email@hidden
http://www.ocs.cz/oc
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