Web programming tools

[Dan Shafer]

>> Use MC as a CGI:  free, easy, fun. :)
>
>I agree, in theory. Oddly, in practice, I have never
>found a tutorial to explain how to use MC as a CGI.
>It's something I really want to learn though!
>
I'm writing one right now. I'll let you know when it's ready for someone to test.
>> What would you like to do with a command-line-powered
>> browser?
>
>Basically advanced navigation and content manipulation. 
>I would like to be able to have a command line for my
>web browser to do the following:
>
>1) Change the font
>a) size
>b) color
>c) font face
>
>2) Stop/Start animations (esp. gifs)
>
>3) Change window size - I type really fast, faster than
>a mouse click & drag
>
>4) Speak text. Send beeps/Play music, i.e. (in HC play
>harpsichord)
>
>5) access and alter the menubar. I know this is more HC
>than MC/RR but imagine if you could tell your browser "
>
>6) Navigation. What would be really really usefull
>would be "go parent" which would take
>http://www.geocities.com/engleerica/computers/hypercard.htm
>and then go to 
>http://www.geocities.com/engleerica/computers/
>so if I then said "go parent" I would get sent to 
>http://www.geocities.com/engleerica/
>etc.
>
>
>Search, copy, paste, PROGRAMMATICALLY.
>So say I find a great law review article on the web,
>and like most its literally DOZENS of pages and
>HUNDREDS of footnotes -- and all *I* really want is to
>find a footnote about some author you never heared of - 
>"Find Paragraph Search Term" 
>would return the paragraph the search term occurs in 
>"Find 2 Paragraphs Search Term" (with S being optional)
>Now I get my desired paragraph plus the paragraph
>preceeding and following.
>
>
>Predefined scripts/handlers: 
>Say MY home page *really* like
>hyperCard/MetaCard/Revolution lets me do this:
><script language="xTalk">
>on zoomIn
>repeat with i = 1 to the number of images on this page
>set the width of image i to the width of image i * 2
>set the height of image i to the height of image i * 2
>end repeat
>end ZoomIn
><script>
>
>That is, this handler/script would be in the message
>hierarchy! It would let me zoom in on images (I know
>this can be done with a book marklet, its just an
>example). And if I wanted another handler to do
>something else I would just write it and install it
>into my "home" page - just like HC/MC/RR
>
>>   With Flash having won the plugin wars, getting
>another
>>   plugin bundled with browser distributions would be
>> next
>>   to impossible.  
>
>This is very true, expecting a bundled plug in is
>completely unrealistic! HowEver... 
>
>> And as long as your users would have
>> to
>>   download something, why not download a more flexible
>>   helper app than a plugin?  No additional 
>engineering
>>   needed for MC Corp., and you get immediate
>> gratification.
>
>Because of the very same reason that the thread starter
>pointed out! People would *rather* work through a
>clunky web interface *because they are familiar with it
>- even though a smaller solution would be more powerful
>- this is how microsoft one I think. People would
>rather download a "safe" "easy" plugin than learn a
>"new" "different" program. 
>
>This is why I haven't done much with java or perl - its
>a question of diminishing returns, I *know xTalk. My
>job is not my dream job (computers) but almost (law and
>computers). So I have to put at least 60% of my energy
>into law, not computers. Remaining energy can be used
>to develop new technologies (java, perl) with
>cumbersome syntax or to apply existing investments
>(xTalk). Unless the return from learning java is
>sufficiently high it makes no sense for me to learn it.
>BTW, once MC made xTalk cross platform I saw no need to
>explore java any further. Then MS killed Java - which
>is why you're right a bundled browser plugin is a pipe
>dream; but a MC/RR engine &/ frontend disguised as a
>downloadable plug-in isn't!. If you look at disguising
>the starter kit as a plugin you might distribute more
>starter kits!
>
>My gist is : why not have the engine/frontend ACT like
>a plugin AND like an independant application? I.e. you
>download the MC/RR plugin, you use it to visualize
>media (AND I DO THINK THAT MC/RR SHOULD CONTINUE TO
>DEVELOP AS A QUICKTIME GENERATOR - sorry for yelling
>that's important for marketing to understand though;
>flash is way to expensive. so is final cut pro. MC/RR
>could however weigh in easily as a quicktime generator. 
>
>So the users download MC/RR 
>1) so they can programmatically control web pages, i.e.
>as a plug in 
>2) to generate content, namely quicktime
>
>Then they discover - woah, I can use this for
>everything director does? And maybe better?!? (Director
>in my opinion has become too complex to be useful for
>most people).
>
>Then they also discover they have a starter kit bundled
>with / disguised as a standalone.
>
>And this is how I get to type
>
>cmd-m go nextCentury
>
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>
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