The Case For A RunRev Player

[Scott Rossi]

> Of course...no wonder I didn't understand the problem, which is why I stayed
> out of the thread until now. The problem is that there is no problem.
> 
> The splash or whatever (sometimes I make it into a custom UI) _is_ the
> player. Any substacks converted as files in the Distribution Builder will
> work off of it, and if properly written (for updating/saving), the user will
> never know. I don't see how it could get any simpler, but that's Rev for ya.
> Things are so much easier and so much work is done for you that people tend
> to make them more difficult/complicated than they are.

I too was struggling to see the problem here and came up with the same
conclusion: no problem.  The original question was "Why hasn't anyone built
a generalized RunRev player?".  IMO, I would say because it's not needed.

Yes, stacks need an engine to run, but just because you can't save to the
*engine* stack doesn't mean you can't save stack changes and make updates to
apps. Just because a file has ".exe" or ".app" appended to its name does not
mean the file is the core application.  By keeping the scripts, data and UI
separate from the engine (data stacks), you have unlimited flexibility to
maintain and update your apps as needed.  And this is doable without the
need to redistribute the 2MB or so required by the engine.

Need to change a button in your app?  Modify a script?  Add some new
windows?  Then modify the data stacks and leave the engine alone.  The only
time you need to mess with the engine is when the Rev/MC folks come out with
some new function/feature that requires an engine change (and thus a major
update to your software).  Then you can provide a version update to your
users that requires the 2MB download and you can boast about all the
functionality contained in your app.

One intriguing (for me anyway) spin on this arrangement is to keep your
"app" on the Web.  You distribute an app/engine to users, which looks to the
Web on startup for your data stacks and downloads as needed.  Then any time
you make an update or provide new features in your app, you upload a new
data stack to the Web and all your users instantly have access to the update
by virtue of starting up their app/engine.

Hopefully, the above will illustrate the fact that stacks can be both stacks
and apps at the same time, depending on how they are packaged.  Keep an open
mind about what constitutes a "desktop app".  There is a phenomenal
flexibility inherent in the Rev/MC file structure once you understand how to
take advantage of it.

Regards,

Scott Rossi
Creative Director

Tactile Media, Multimedia & Design
Email: scott at tactilemedia.com
Web: www.tactilemedia.com