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000108_yackd@oregon.et.byu.edu_Wed Feb 2 14:53 MST 1994.msg
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Date: Wed, 02 Feb 1994 14:50:28 -0700
From: yackd@oregon.et.byu.edu (Don Yacktman)
Subject: Re: More object ideas
To: misckit@byu.edu
Message-Id: <9402022150.AA04661@oregon.et.byu.edu>
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Status: RO
Ah, very interesting. I like these ideas a lot.
Let me make a few comments. In the past 48 hours
there has been a flood of submissions for the MiscKit.
Some won't be completely ready for inclusion for
about a month yet, and I will be doing a lot of
work with the individuals involved to get everything
prepared and ready for the kit.
Some of the objects include (1) a greatly enhanced
subprocess class. The donator doesn't have time to
make the appropriate adjustments for the kit, so
I will do that. Give me two weeks and you'll have
a bang up subprocess class.
(2) A generic document hadling framework like what
we've been discussing. Probably won't be ready for
a month or so. The goal is to have it within a
month...the coding is basically done as I understand
it. If you were planning on doing code on this one
contact me and I will try and set you up with the
individual involved so that you can discuss architecture
or any other considerations that you might think worth
discussion. Along with this document framework will
be coming quite a few other object, but I'm not yet
at liberty to say what they all are... :-)
(3) Major enhancements for the date/time class.
Anyway, on to the file and other stuff.
I really like these ideas; a generic file with
appropriate subclasses could be very useful. The
trick here is that with OpenStep up and coming,
we will have to be very careful that only certain
subclasses or categories introduce OS dependencies.
Also, the interface on the chmod, etc. commands
seems more like something that should have to
do with the File objects, and NOT a subclass of
subprocess/UNIX objects. I say this because it
is natural to think of file protections as an
attribute of a file...so you'd send a message to
the file object to change them. The "ls" command
would be an attribute query for the directory subclass
of a file object. Oh, and I _really_ think that it
would be handy to have a subclass of the file object
to deal with directories. That would sure make
surfing through a filesystem a cakewalk!
As to the logging, yes, both a "priority level"
_and_ a mask would be useful. I'm more in favor
of a mask, though. Priority levels are really
limited in their flexibility. Trouble is coming
up with a reasonable set of masks that would cover
enough situations. So, there's no reason we cannot
fall back on a priority level as well...supporting
both would be easy enough. And it's true that the
current log file is really limited with what it
can do.
So, looks like a generic file with appropriate
subclasses would be a really good thing. Certainly
I'd also like to see a cover over pipes. I've seen
so many beginners forget to close one end of a pipe
and then hang, and other similar goofs, that a class
would be really useful there.
On the Mail and NeXTMail classes, don't bother writing
them. I am already doing this for a project that I am
working on. So these'll be in the MiscKit soon as it
is. In fact, I'm working on these tonight... :-)
Once I get those mail objects into the kit, anyone
like to do a MIMEMail object? :-)
On the thread object...this would be extremely useful.
I'd say that perhaps someone ought to look at that
threadkit thing that was done a while back and see if
that approach is the way to go...we can then build up
a thread system based on that or something better, if
we can think of a better way. A thread object would
make threaded apps a lot less scary to write, though,
and that would be really good. I'd like to see threading
used more often under NS...
Oh, and I almost forgot. Along with my Mail objects
will come a generic template filling object as well.
I had to use something like this a while back where
I was extending VHDL (VLSI hardware desc. lang.) and
adding new constructs. The new constructs were
basically "smart templates" so I'd parse the new
command and use the parameters to generate masses of
VHDL code based upon smart templates. I'm trying to
move this technology from C to ObjC in a nice way,
and when I finish you'll have MiscTemplates, along
with some helper objects, and probably a top-level
object that can use the templates to merge records
into templates, or other fun things... :-)
Anyway, I thought I ought to mention those new
objects that are coming in before anyone gets too
deep into coding anything on similar objects. Still
no submission of a file class with appropriate
subclasses, though, so who wants to do that one?
Speak up now...and there's nothing wrong with putting
together a "committee" to work together on it. :-)
I'd like to listen in on the development and perhaps
make a few suggestions, but I'm already going to
be MiscSwamped for the next month dealing with this
current flood of objects. (Remembering that I have
"real world" work to get done in addition. :-) )
Well, who's our file handling guru gonna be, then?
Later,
-don
(PS: more objects: Sean Luke's sound meters and other
stuff is almost ready. Looking real nice. He's even
got a little example app that sits there and lights up
whenever there's noise in the room. Rather unnerving.)