schweizer@tik.ethz.ch (04/25/91)
I tried to upgrade Smalltalk/VMac from 1.0 to 1.1 following the instructions very carefully, but I did not succeed. Every time I evaluated "DisplayScreen initSystem" (class message) the system crashed. Could you tell me why? Configuration: MacIIfx, System 6.0.7 fx, Finder 6.1.7, 8MB RAM Has anyone made some experiences using Widgets/V Mac from ACUMEN Software? Thank you! Daniel Schweizer (schweizer@tik.ethz.ch)
pkr@media03.UUCP (Peter Kriens) (04/26/91)
From: schweizer@tik.ethz.ch asks 1. upgrade Smalltalk V/Mac 1.1 problems 2. Widgets from Acumen 1. It is possible to upgrade, I have done it but had some problems as well. Finally after a lot of twiddling I got it to work. I wonder why Digitalk not just sends a new image/source pair. The only suggestion I have for you in this area is by really starting with a complete clean image. But you probably already did that. 2. This is the reason I answer you question. I have been a beta tester for Widgets/Mac and I can assure you it is great. It relieves you from a lot of tedious and boring work by allowing you to paint the screens and menu's for your application. It works very good, even the beta versions were already usuable. I really love the fact that it is very easy to extent the system with your own widgets. The new widgets can just as easely handled as the standard avaiable. Another nice feature is the fact that the API is equal to the Smalltalk V/286 version and the upcoming Smalltalk V/PM/Windows widget version. (Of the last two I am not sure, but I surely hope so). This makes writing protable aplications a lot easier. There are two minor shortcomings: The method names of messages which place a value in widget have their type coded. If a widget uses a string list, the method is called stringList and if it uses an integer, it is called value:. This makes polymorphism more difficult. List widgets are forced to use strings. It would be nicer if the lists would say asString to the object so that you could give it whatever kind of objects you wanted. Both shortcomings are tiny, and easely changed yourself, in comparison to the ease of use. Documentation is very good. Beware, once you have used it, you cannot live without it anymore. Developping without gives you funny feelings. Peter Kriens pkr@media01.uucp
cooper@netcom.COM (Ken Cooper) (04/29/91)
Thanks for the compliments, Peter. I have to correct one thing though: The product we're releasing next week, WindowBuilder/V Windows, is not the full Widgets/V implementation, but rather an enhanced version of the interface editor in Widgets. Rather than clash with a much larger company (read: Digitalk) on their new API standard, we felt it made more sense to support theirs. WindowBuilder therefore does not generate the Widgets API, but rather the SubPane API Digitalk is promoting. Ken Cooper Acumen Software