Script Limits and solid IDE evolution!

[xbury.cs at clearstream.com]

Hi everyone,

Great subject. I've been waiting for the right arguments to jump in... 
Mostly to present some hope for more features, not more limits!
Im open to criticism as usual! I dont want to rant that much but in view 
of the situation... 

First, without the 10 line script limit, I would be using java or VBS and 
would have never made a test product to justify buying MC let alone renew 
the license.
This proves that the 10 line script limit is a minimum for anyone who 
wants to try MC. Of course, a one month limit is as nice if not better 
without the 10 line limit.
But that wasn't available then... 

Second, the problem with the MC licensing scheme is that it was too easy 
to abuse...
Here, I fully understand RR's way. You build a chain of buttons never 
breaking the limit of the 10 script lines but despite that, I dont know 
anyone who would in their right mind want to use such an IDE. Also, to 
Scott's demise, allowing compilation of an executable is a nice feature 
for a demo but it's part of the problem with runaway licenses... 

Nonetheless, RR has improved on the product and for good reason. Their IDE 
is VERY nice compared to the clunky-over-simplified MC GUI. 

The only problem I see with the demo is allowing to make executables 
and/or saving large projects! You need enough to make a test, prove it can 
work, basta. But if my project is even a small neural network or statistic 
package, 10 lines is ridiculous and I'll grab another IDE. 

Following Robert's comments earlier, the removal of a feature or limiting 
a feature like dynamic scripting (the DO script), is IMOHO a terrible 
mistake and a SEVERE limit to the IDE's possibilities. Of which this one 
is almost unique among other IDEs. 

Even considering that this could allow you to make an executable IDE, 
dynamic scripts have too many advantages to be discarded. And for RR's 
peace of mind, they are hard to make and impossible to debug but they are 
by far one of the most modern features of RR/MC/HC. So why throw that 
away? Robert is already blocked and most of us dont use this. I am forced 
to port a 10000 card stack that was a dynamic script loader for cached 
execution and I'll probably never will (read as yet another loss). 

I personally dont see an economic reason why this should be limited. I do 
see reasons to abandon MC/RR more and more...

I dont see why we couldn't create our own IDE... And it's not even an IDE, 
it's just a GUI without hardly any serious compiling capabilities (like 
C++ or even the veteran HC CompileIT)

If this GUI redesign was more present as a feature in MC/RR, imagine how 
popular it could become! 
How many products today have skinning and GUI building built-in? LOTS! And 
most OS's too...

No many IDE's have this feature on the other hand!
 Also, note that other than optimizing the IDE to improve your workflow, I 
dont see why anyone would want to go through the pain of creating an IDE. 
Most RR and MC users create applications for their clients. None of them 
want their clients to develop more themselves! 

And those of us who build IDE tools do it for the good of either our 
workflow or for the RR/MC community. Blocked by this, many of us would 
just jump ship to another IDE that is more efficient... Building a 
HyperTalk macro language is a breeze in any language... 

Did anyone think that without this feature RR' wouldn't even exist and all 
RR users would be forced using another product or MC's barebone GUI.

Now Im thinking of porting hypertalk to PHP... I dont mind evolution of 
products, but Im against limiting of features while essential things like 
a good Script Editors or debugger are still as arcane as an sword against 
an automatic rifle which put a major brake on your productivity are still 
not being improved as they should.

Competition for RR? Come on. Give me a break! Competition is very small, 
and it makes ya healthy. Also, you'd have to go through RR for a license 
renewal eventually which Im sure they would prevent... Without competition 
most of the world would be made of communist or socialists and using 
microsoft DOS.

More features, more freedom = more users, more clients, more applications, 
more power to the developper = MORE competitive IDE = more users = less 
competition!

Think about it...
I welcome your rants and flames openly
Xavier

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