Web programming tools

[Richard Gaskin]

eric.allen.engle at justice.com wrote:

> I would really really like to see a server side plugin
> that would let me do this
> <script language="metaTalk">...

Use MC as a CGI:  free, easy, fun. :)
 
> And being able to read web pages as STACKS.
> Why? BECAUSE I CAN AUTOMATICALLY AND READILY MANIPULATE
> A STACK AND ITS TEXT thats why. (sorry for shouting,
> 'twas an important point though).
> 
> The key weakness to the web, from my perspective, is
> the lack of a command line. In hyperCard I just
> control-m and voila I can programmatically do whatever
> I want. Same as in metaCard. But in HTML?

What would you like to do with a command-line-powered browser?

...
> But, for now at least, metaCard remains of the opinion
> that plugins for browsers are a bad idea.

I think the opinion could be expressed as:

  With Flash having won the plugin wars, getting another
  plugin bundled with browser distributions would be next
  to impossible.  And as long as your users would have to
  download something, why not download a more flexible
  helper app than a plugin?  No additional  engineering
  needed for MC Corp., and you get immediate gratification.

-- 
 Richard Gaskin 
 Fourth World Media Corporation
 Developer of WebMerge 2.2: Publish any database on any site
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