lnk2021@uxf.cso.uiuc.edu (02/16/89)
(speaking from experience...) I was an Apple Certified Developer for a while (actually the initial 18 month period), and I must say that the program that Apple runs is excellent, there is no end to the information and resources that Apple makes available when you become a developer. I was receiving tech notes, a monthly magazine for developers, directories full of avaiable publishing companies, development software sources, licensing information, hyperCard stacks and tons more.... B U T (you were expecting this sometime, right?) Back before Apple was charging money to become a C.D., you had to show some intention of developing and releasing a software or hardware product that would advance the Macintosh market further into specific markets (i.e. business, engineering, education, et al) and nothing else. The program did not exist to help the basement hacker write better (or working!) code. Does anyone see what I'm getting at? You were given manna from heaven if you showed you were committed to working on the next 1-2-3 (i.e. software that sold _machines_, not vice versa). The resources that were available to the amateur or casual progammer basically consisted of APDA. I won't even get into how useful APDA has been over the years for me except as a mail order bookstore. If you _really_ needed tech support you shelled out $500 and became a registered developer which allowed you AppleLink access to the tech support department where questions could be answered via Email or voice if you were fortunate enough. So, what exists for the programmers like you and I? I don't see very much, and I find it really appalling that we have had to rely on third party products (LightSpeed, TMON) to get any kind of work done. You think Apple would have learned a lesson from the software drought of late '84 through 1985. The only Apple development resources I actually use are RMaker and ResEdit, both of which have suffered serious neglect during the course of their development/improvement, and both could probably be written better by third parties anyway. Do I get a feeling Apple is trying to tell us something by leaving these tools in such a sorry state? (ResEdit alone is still trying to catch up with resource types introduced back with System 4.x, as far as I can tell. My copy, dated 6/88, still calls MultiFinder 'Juggler'!) Sample case in point: Why did everyone go crazy with developing HyperCard --------------------- stacks? I don't think I've ever seen such an explosion of applications for _any_ system as I have seen for HC. Could it be people simply found an incredibly easy to use environment to develop real applications (or very good imitations of, actually) for the Macintosh? [Aside to Apple Tech: Whatever happened to Genesis???] I can go on for another 12K or so about my grudges with the state of Macintosh development, but there have to be other horror stories/gripes floating around out there on the net. Please don't flame at me, these are merely opinions and observations. If you wanna complain about Mac development, post it!!! :-) P. 'Wheeze' Latio University of Illinois at Champaign/Urbana Home of the Slam-Dunking Illini All ideas and opinions are those of the author and are not necessarily those of the University, since most of the Faculty here is too busy with research to even post messages to the net except when they can't find their RAs and TAs. So there.
lsr@Apple.COM (Larry Rosenstein) (02/21/89)
In article <46700101@uxf.cso.uiuc.edu> lnk2021@uxf.cso.uiuc.edu writes: > >So, what exists for the programmers like you and I? I don't see very much, >and I find it really appalling that we have had to rely on third party >products (LightSpeed, TMON) to get any kind of work done. You think Apple Apple covers the "high end" of the development system spectrum with MPW. We have an internal need for a development system that we control, since if changes need to be made to support new products they can be done easily. I see no reason why Apple has to cover the same areas that are currently covered by Symantec, TML, etc. with their development systems. MPW is a tool that Apple provide for doing development. What's wrong with having a choice of development systems? >1985. The only Apple development resources I actually use are RMaker and >ResEdit, both of which have suffered serious neglect during the course of >their development/improvement, and both could probably be written better by ResEdit has been and is being enhanced. Larry Rosenstein, Object Specialist Apple Computer, Inc. 20525 Mariani Ave, MS 46-B Cupertino, CA 95014 AppleLink:Rosenstein1 domain:lsr@Apple.COM UUCP:{sun,voder,nsc,decwrl}!apple!lsr