Is Transcript's English orientation a plus or minus?

[Rob Cozens]

>Having "put" as the sole assignment syntax means, IMHO, that people 
>looking at RR think it's more like HyperCard than less like HyperCard

Frank, et al:

My apologies if this is a repost.  I originally sent it at 9 AM 
yesterday, and if it appeared on the list, I missed it:

>>
>Not supporting these standard statements make the language look a 
>bit "beginner-ish"

Frank, et al:

Is there something inherently inferior about a programming 
environment that can be used productively by someone who doesn't have 
a degree in computer science?

Do professional developers feel threatened by the concept of business 
people writing custom software to drive their business without 
employing a programmer to assist or do the job for them?

As a professional with 30 years in the field, I am IMPRESSED that 
people like local MUG HyperCard SIG member, Carl Chaney, could write 
functional work order processing, invoicing, & tax reconciliation 
software for his laser engraving business and a point of sale system 
for his daughter's ice cream parlor in HyperTalk without taking one 
programming course and without even any experience using a 
spreadsheet.  Sure his work looked "beginner-ish"; BUT IT DID THE JOB 
HE WANTED DONE.

Does the fact that Carl Chaney could do that in X-Talk, does that 
mean, a priori, that X-Talk is an inferior development environment?

If programming were illustration and program languages were boxes of 
crayons, my analogy would be:

Give a room full of ordinary people X-Talk crayons, and everyone of 
them will create an illustration.  A ten year old's illustration may 
look less polished than an adult's, which in turn may look less 
polished than a professional illustrator's; but everyone can produce 
something meaningful to them.

Give a room full of ordinary people C crayons, and most won't be able 
to draw a single line.

Which environment is truly "beginner-ish" in terms of software 
development evolution?
-- 

Rob Cozens
CCW, Serendipity Software Company
http://www.oenolog.net/who.htm

"And I, which was two fooles, do so grow three;
Who are a little wise, the best fooles bee."

from "The Triple Foole" by John Donne (1572-1631)