Serious applications

[Richard Gaskin]

Mark Wieder wrote:

> I think the hard task in front of RunRev is convincing
> current programmers that they should learn a new language
 > and syntax.

 From Perl to Java to JavaScript to C to C++ to Objective C, this is 
always the challenge.  Let folks use what they prefer. Transcripters 
won't force C programmers to use chunk expressions if C programmers 
don't force Transcripters to use an evaluation operator for assignments. 
:)  Creating a programming language is not a trivial task; each language 
solves a problem and has its place.

Folks who enjoy a certain comfort with their current language will 
remain with what they know.  Sometimes that's a productive decision, 
sometimes not.  After all, if it works don't fix it, and if they don't 
work with Rev they'll never see it as a productivity loss.*

But a lot of programmers, developers, software  publishers, IT shops, 
and hobbyists are always on the lookout for greater productivity and 
stronger ROI.  For them Rev has a liberating answer.

RunRev doesn't need to convince the world of its efficacy to be 
successful.  If over the course of its lifetime just 5% of Java 
programmers add it to their arsenal the company will have been 
enormously successful.

SunWorld magazine once wrote of the engine:

    "... once users have come up to speed with the package,
     it becomes a must-have UNIX utility, allowing fast
     prototyping, easy interactive presentations, and simple
     custom apps."


* Yes, all languages can call libraries, so in effect one could argue 
that any routine in any language is a one-liner.  But that argument is a 
bit of a red herring as it overlooks that libraries have to come from 
somewhere, and the challenges inherent in creating truly portable code. 
  By the time you've figured out how to display the contents of a text 
file in scrolling field on Mac Classic, OS X, Window, and Linux in C++, 
a Rev developer has a completed application, About box,  Preferences, 
auto-download updates, and all.

Rev isn't for everyone, nor every project.  I wouldn't write operating 
systems or device drivers with it, that's what the Assembler-substitute 
C is for.

But for GUI apps it's hard to beat.  You can build somewhere between 
90-100% of most apps in Rev, and for anything you can't build there are 
externals, or if you need deeper hooks there's the Embedded Engine option.

You could think of Rev as a pecompiled object library, on which there 
are nearly infinite ways to build.  It's definitely an unusual model and 
perhaps not suited for everyone's tastes.  But personal preferences 
aside its ROI proposition as a foundation for most GUI apps stands firm.

-- 
  Richard Gaskin
  Fourth World Media Corporation
  ___________________________________________________________
  Ambassador at FourthWorld.com       http://www.FourthWorld.com