Nebula 2/Nebula Two.iso/SourceCode/MiscKit1.7.1/MiscKitArchive.mbox/mbox/[e-mail]_Mon Sep 27 10:04 MDT 1993.msg

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Date: Mon, 27 Sep 1993 10:58:23 -0500
From: [e-mail]
Subject: Re: MiscKit summary and proposal:  stirring up the ashes
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> [re: not getting prefix votes & "Misc" as prefix]

Here's my vote: this sounds good.

> So, what objects to people want to contribute?  What
> resources would your object use that could be shared?
> [....]
> (If you provide a .nib interface to an object, say, like
> a Find panel--which is an object I'd like to add to the kit,
> if there's a willing contributor--perhaps many different .nibs
> could be provided as examples for developers to pick from.)

Coincidentally, it was with the idea of contributing my FindPanel
class/bundle that I started the discussion about "allowable
contributions" and shared resources.  I've localized the FindPanel
to several languages; I wondered how this might be packaged for
distribution.  I've also included a simple example application
(which I'd hoped to enhance for future releases) that illustrates
the FindPanel's use.  What about that? I wondered.

Random thought: Should/could example applications be written that
use one or more MiscKit classes to illustrate their use?  Just a
thought.

I don't know what Don means by "many different .nibs could be
provided...".  User interface objects like panels should have only
one "look", imho.  The (and many others have noted this over the
years) lack of a FindPanel in the AppKit has been a big user-
interface hole in nextstep.  I suspect that there will be one in
NS 4.0 (though we won't see this 'til 1995 probably).

I've been holding back, waiting for the dust to settle on the
licensing issue.  The license currently attached to my FindPanel
is less restrictive than licenses discussed here so far; I'm
wary of tacking on unnecessary or burdensome requirements.

> * Provide, with the object, a .h and .m file and a .rtf class
> spec.  (Note that the owner is expected to keep the .rtf up to
> date with the object itself.  This is important. Source code is
> no substitute for good docs.)

And not only docs that are a "list and description of methods",
but explanations as to how to use (or how one might use) the
object are also very important (moreso than a reference I think).

> So, if there's an object that you would like to _see_ in
> the MiscKit, tell us about it now.  Maybe someone will
> volunteer to do it!

The string class stuff currently in the MiscKit looks nice,
but I think I'd like to see it broken up into a small heirarchy
of classes.  For instance, a constant-and-unique string class
would be nice.  I have a memory-efficient and moderately fast
one (that actually protects the memory the strings are in,
unlike the unique strings created with NXUniqueString())
that I could donate to the MiscKit, and/or incorporate into
such a heirarchy.

Christopher J. Kane
[e-mail]