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000058_news@columbia.edu_Sun Jun 4 23:31:05 1995.msg
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From: fdc@watsun.cc.columbia.edu (Frank da Cruz)
Newsgroups: comp.protocols.kermit.misc
Subject: Re: Kermit MAC??
Date: 4 Jun 1995 23:31:05 GMT
Organization: Columbia University
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In article <3qtbvi$a4o@news.doit.wisc.edu>,
Glenn R. Howes <grhowes@students.wisc.edu> wrote:
>Well, if we are going to talk about things in the future, then
>maintaining a monolithic MacKermit is a waste of time. The future
>of Mac programming is increasingly modular. The CTB was just a
>first start: OpenDoc is just a year away and with it (I hope)
>the end of the do everything application.
>
>Advantages of modularity:
>1) People can pick and choose there favorite tools.
>2) Easy to add a new feature: ZMODEM, TCP/IP, etc.
>3) A single hobbyist can write and maintain a tool in spare time.
>4) Buy only the commercial parts you want.
>
>Right now, people would be better served by someone making a
>high quality freeware VT220 tool...
>
Of course they would. Be my guest.
>... writing an AppleScriptable
>character converter helper app,and writing a Kermit tool with
>a more modern feature set.
>
So why isn't anybody doing this work?
>As for scripting, the last thing the
>Mac world needs is another application specific scripting
>implementation: use AppleScript (or more precisely, make it
>OSA compliant).
>
Oh boy, another three-letter-acronym to be compliant with.
Everything you say is no doubt true, but recall that what we
(in the Kermit project) try hard to do is write portable code
with a portable interface that runs consistently on a wide
variety of platforms over a variety of communication methods.
All that while providing some of the best terminal emulators
and file transfer software around.
Somebody who lives in the Macintosh world could no doubt make a
terrific Macintosh application, much more terrific and modular
and TLA-compliant than we could, but that's exactly what it
would be: a Macintosh app for the Macintosh world. So far,
however, it seems that nobody has done that.
A distinct advantage of Kermit software to some people -- those
who live and work in a diverse computing and communications
environment, as opposed to those who only see / feel / touch /
know about one specific type of computer -- is that it is
portable and familiar across many types of systems. That's one
reason why we do not go out of our way to make applications
like the one you describe above. Because then we would have to
do the same thing for DOS, OS/2, Windows 3.x, Windows NT,
Windows 9x, Motif, NeXTSTEP, DECwindows, HP Vue, and on and on
and on, and then our software would be just like any other
software that you bought in a store -- i.e. aimed at an
individual mass-market user, with little or no commonality
across platforms.
Not that anything is wrong with that, it's only that we don't
have huge "campuses" full of energetic full-time programmers
rolling products out for the market share. In fact, when you
think about it, it's pretty amazing what so few people have
have produced for so many.
There's no point complaining about Mac Kermit. We've got
countless thousands of people who want it to be on a par with
MS-DOS Kermit or OS/2 C-Kermit in terms of functionality,
performance, support, and robustness (believe me about the
countless thousands -- I get the mail), but nobody in the past
few years who has had the time, inclination, and ability to do
the work, nor anyone who has the cash to hire such a person.
What do you want for free?
- Frank