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- Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac.programmer
- Path: sparky!uunet!wri!pubs7.wri.com!jbrewer
- From: John Brewer <jbrewer@wri.com>
- Subject: Re: THINK Reference comments wanted.
- Message-ID: <1993Jan12.013114.10913@wri.com>
- X-Xxmessage-Id: <A7777B9013016707@pubs7.wri.com>
- X-Xxdate: Mon, 11 Jan 93 01: 31:28 GMT
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- Organization: Wolfram Research, Inc.
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- References: <1istbrINN79i@crcnis1.unl.edu>
- Date: Tue, 12 Jan 1993 01:31:14 GMT
- Lines: 40
-
- THINK Reference comments wanted.
-
- I've been using Think Reference for the past week or so. Version 2.0
- just came out, and it is way cool. For instance, to answer your
- question, I just switched over to Think Reference, entered "printing ma"
- <return>, and was presented with a screen listing all the printing
- manager calls, as well as two code examples. I clicked on the link for
- one of the code examples, and the entire code example instantly appeared
- on my screen. Had I wanted to, I could have copied it and pasted it here
- (modulo Symantec's copyright). Total elapsed time: 15 seconds.
-
- I used to use something called "Programmers Online Companion." It was an
- INIT that let you search for toolbox calls, and would type them into your
- editor for you. As an INIT, it was always taking up RAM, whereas Think
- Reference is a full fledged application that you can quit any time. I
- used Now Menus to make Command-Help either launch or switch to Think
- Reference which makes it almost as convenient as Programmer's Online
- Companion.
-
- Think Reference is definitely an important part of a balanced diet for
- any Mac programmer. But you probably still need Inside Macintosh (all 9
- volumes $$$$$$$) if you are serious. Also, get some sort of framework.
- There are several skeleton applications available from sumex, and similar
- sources. Working with a skeleton app takes care of all the hard stuff,
- so you can concentrate on your application domain. Still, expect a
- learning curve of 6 months to a year if you have never written
- event-driven programs before.
-
- One hint: You can probably get Think Reference by mail order for less
- than the offer from Symantec. Shop a couple places, though, as prices
- vary by as much as $20.
-
- Oops! I just went back and noticed that the code example on printing
- seems to be available in "C" only. Sorry. Perhaps someone who uses
- Pascal primarily can provide more illumination.
-
- John Brewer
-
- p.s. Does anyone know how to create new Think Reference Databases?
- T'would be cool.
-