Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac.misc
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From: melling@cs.psu.edu (Michael D Mellinger)
Subject: Re: The NeXT is easier to program than the Mac(was: The Fate...
In-Reply-To: tagreen@bronze.ucs.indiana.edu's message of Sat, 23 Mar 91 22:51:16 GMT
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References: <1991Mar22.154811.8691@rucs2.sunlab.cs.runet.edu>
	<1991Mar23.190432.5683@cc.helsinki.fi>
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Date: Sun, 24 Mar 91 18:22:50 GMT
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In article <1991Mar23.225116.21450@bronze.ucs.indiana.edu> tagreen@bronze.ucs.indiana.edu (Todd A. Green) writes:


   Have you ever programmed the Mac?  It took me all of 1 day from the
   time I received THINK C and Inside Mac I-V to get a program compiled and
   running. (And no it wasn't "Hello World" ;) ).  While the IB is nice,
   I have to say right now I prefere ResEdit 2.1.  I'll admit I'm biased
   as all heck having used ResEdit for a considerable length of time, and
   still being new to NeXT programming. But I find progamming the NeXT
   much more complicated.  With all the .prog, .nib, .m's, .tiff,
   .iconheader files...objective C (which again is new for me). Having
   to learn about classes, inheritance, etc.

Bullshit.  Anyone else on the net want to claim that they went through
all 5 (aren't we up to 7) volumes of inside the Mac in one day(or one
month).  And I've used RedEdit 2.1 and it doesn't touch the NeXT
Interface Builder.

You might as well get used to classes, inheritance, etc, even Apple is
going to use OO programming as the paradigm for Mac programming.  Take
C++ with MacApp, for example.  Actually, doesn't Object Pascal have
classes, etc.  Strikes me that it should.  Self is the only classless
OO language of which I know.  So, I guess Apple is already using an OO
paradigm.  Anyway, Objective C has a much smaller learning curve than
C++.  There are fewer extensions to C.

   I guess what I'm trying to say is that any Joe-blow C or Pascal
   programmer can pick up a book and learn to program the Mac (at least
   the basics) in a matter of days.  I have not found the transition to
   the NeXT as easy.  But this is just my personal experience.  Maybe
   others have found it easier.  (Especially those who are already
   objective C programmers, which seems to be my biggest hindrance, that
   along with the lack of information.  The only sources that I have are
   what came online with NeXTstep 2.0 ).  Well time will tell as I become
   more familiar with the IB, and objective C. Maybe I can make a more
   definitive comparison then.  Right now I'd love to be back in THINK C.

The basics on the Mac are already done for you on the NeXT.  Even if
it took you twice as long to learn on the NeXT, you will still be able
to do more after you learn how to program the NeXT, and do it faster.

I think the main problem with NeXT programming is that the 2.0 docs
haven't been released yet.  Things should become a lot clearer to the
neophyte NeXT programmer when this happens.


-Mike




