[comp.sys.next] signal/noise ratio on comp.sys.next

mrc@Tomobiki-Cho.CAC.Washington.EDU (Mark Crispin) (04/15/89)

     As someone who is doing serious native-mode (Application Kit)
NeXT programming and interested in exchanging technical information,
I'm more than a little bit distressed by the poor signal/noise ratio
on this list.  Some of the worst offenders appear to be individuals
who have never even seen a NeXT.

     Some flames are worthwhile.  The source code issue, comments
about various design issues [e.g. power button, making the mouse right
button useful, etc.] are of concern to all of us.  The attributes of
toy computers such as the Amiga or Atari ST (or even Macintosh) are
not.  Nor, really, are the comments about whether or not a NeXT is
worth buying.  That is a matter between you, your moneybags, and NeXT.
If you love your Amiga I am very happy for you.

     Now, to put some signal into this noisy message: I am *still*
trying to figure out how in an NX_LISTMODE matrix how to
programmatically get the effect of COMMAND/LEFT-MOUSE on a matrix item
(that is, *add* it to the selected items instead of making it the only
selected item).  Merely calling highlightCellAt::lit: visually does
the right thing, but leads to bizarre effects when you try selection
modification via the mouse.

     More specifically, what I have is a matrix of ButtonCells inside
of a scrolling view.  I can have any number of those cells selected.
I want to do so by program control (e.g. call a subroutine that will
'select item #23') or by the mouse (via LEFT-MOUSE, SHIFT/LEFT-MOUSE,
or COMMAND/LEFT-MOUSE...damn it, give me the goddamn right button!!).
I want LEFT-MOUSE on a single item to clear any previous selection
(which it does normally, but not if you highlighted various items by
program control).

     How can I do this?  Or, what else do I do besides highlighting to
make sure the list mode matrix knows that I've done this to some other cells?

-- Mark --
Mark Crispin / P.O. Box 2652 / Seattle, WA 98111-2652 / (206) 842-2385
mrc@Tomobiki-Cho.CAC.Washington.EDU / MRC@WSMR-SIMTEL20.Army.Mil
450cc Rebel pilot -- a step up from 250cc's!!!
kisha no kisha ga kisha de kisha-shita...tabesaserarenakerebanaranakattarashii

jgreely@cis.ohio-state.edu (J Greely) (04/15/89)

In article <1586@blake.acs.washington.edu> Mark Crispin
 <mrc@Tomobiki-Cho.CAC.Washington.EDU> writes:
>     As someone who is doing serious native-mode (Application Kit)
>NeXT programming and interested in exchanging technical information,
>I'm more than a little bit distressed by the poor signal/noise ratio
>on this list.  Some of the worst offenders appear to be individuals
>who have never even seen a NeXT.

"Offenders"?  Lighten up!  Most of your complaints come completely
from left field ("you live in your reality, I'll live in mine").  A
quick check shows that this group is supposed to be for "discussion
about the NeXT computer".  *Not* technical issues, "discussion".  All
of the things you take offense at are at least tangentially related to
the machine, and as such are best discussed here.  If you feel that
the technical content of this group is too low, raise it.  Don't tell
people to "either post techie stuff or shut up".  I, for one, find
that (excuse me, *this*) sort of article to be pure noise, no matter
what else you put into it.

>     Some flames are worthwhile.

...defined as those that are worthwhile to *you*, I see.

>  The attributes of
>toy computers such as the Amiga or Atari ST (or even Macintosh) are
>not.

Consider, if you will, that many of the people who are interested in
the NeXT are coming from this camp, it is quite relevant ("can it do
MIDI? can it do this better? can it handle french fries?").  Not too
many people have actually had the chance to work with a NeXT, and they
*have* to compare them to something they're familiar with.  For many
of the cube's features, that's the Amiga/Mac/ST market.

>Nor, really, are the comments about whether or not a NeXT is
>worth buying.

<snicker> Yeah, and I suppose you've got a bridge stashed away
somewhere cheap.  In a forum for discussing the system, the issue of
whether it's worth buying is not appropriate?  Things like pricing
structure, availability of application software, competition, and
performance are *useless*, huh?  We need a haven for frustrated
NeXTStep programmers, yessir.  'Scuse me while I laugh hysterically.

>That is a matter between you, your moneybags, and NeXT.

Not on your life.  If I'm looking at a machine, I don't want slick
corporate paper, I want to hear from people who are *using* it.  I
*want* the information you find so useless.  Does it work as promised?
Is it reliable?  How easy was learning the interface for a normal Unix
user?  an X-lover?  a DOS addict?  a MacPerson?  a random person you
pulled off the street?  How well are they packaged?  How is the
support?  How good/bad is the optical drive?  How well does it drop
into a heterogenous network environment?  Can I run it as a Yp client
subnetted under a Sun 3/160 running SunOS 3.5?  How good is the
net-boot software in practice?  How stable is the NFS implementation?
Is it safe to let my network trust one?  Does Jot really crash if you
breath hard?  Will Carol marry John, or will David blackmail her with
the pictures?  (Yes, I know the answers to most of these questions, so
don't send them to me, unless you know where I can get the pictures.
Cheap).

>If you love your Amiga I am very happy for you.

I don't have one.  I have owned several machines, and currently use an
AT for a home terminal (and suns for most else).  I have a Mac-Plus
and a NeXT on my desk, and the next time I buy a home machine, it will
be at least of the caliber of a NeXT (although I admit to a certain
fascination with raw speed, there are some features to a cube that I
would be willing to give up a few MIPS for).

>     Now, to put some signal into this noisy message: I am *still*
>trying to figure out how in an NX_LISTMODE matrix how to
>programmatically get the effect of COMMAND/LEFT-MOUSE on a matrix item
>(that is, *add* it to the selected items instead of making it the only
>selected item).  Merely calling highlightCellAt::lit: visually does
>the right thing, but leads to bizarre effects when you try selection
>modification via the mouse.

Please stop cluttering this newsgroup with annoying messages like
this.  All it does is server to distract people from the important
issues of rehashing market placement and competition. (NOTE: Yes, I
*am* half-kidding.  I don't consider this question useless, but it has
no direct effect on my use of my NeXT.  I don't have *time* to devote
to digging into NeXT-specific programming yet, and likely won't for
some time.)

-- 
J Greely (jgreely@cis.ohio-state.edu; osu-cis!jgreely)

peter@ficc.uu.net (Peter da Silva) (04/18/89)

In article <1586@blake.acs.washington.edu>, mrc@Tomobiki-Cho.CAC.Washington.EDU (Mark Crispin) writes:
> The attributes of
> toy computers such as the Amiga or Atari ST (or even Macintosh) are
> not.

The Amiga is not a toy computer. It's the only machine out there with any
resemblance to the NeXT machine (can you say 680x0-based graphics machine
with built-in coprocessors and audiovisual support? Can you say real-time
operating system supporting lightweight processes? Can you say small message
passing kernel? I knew you could.), and there's a lot that NeXT can learn
from the history of the Amiga. The NeXT is just bigger, that's all.
-- 
Peter da Silva, Xenix Support, Ferranti International Controls Corporation.

Business: uunet.uu.net!ficc!peter, peter@ficc.uu.net, +1 713 274 5180.
Personal: ...!texbell!sugar!peter, peter@sugar.hackercorp.com.