Rev Media and the product line gap

[Francis Nugent Dixon]

Dan,

I love that term "Inventive User". However, I find that this puts me
in quite a pickle. Into which category do I fall ?

I wrote programs in :

Algol - 1963
Fortran - 1964 (English Electric "Leo")
IBM 1401 Machine Code 1965 - 1966
IBM 1401 Assembler - 1966 - 1968
IBM 360/370  Assembler - 1966 - 1980
IBM 360 PL/1 1966  - 1968
IBM 360/370 Cobol - 1968 - 1978
Basic (didn't like it)
  I looked at a C manual, and closed the book,
(certainly not my cup of tea, although I was deep into Assembler).
VB didn't turn me on either (but it did herald a change).

So maybe I was a professional programmer.

In the early 1980's (when was it exactly ?), I bought my Mac 128K
as my first home computer, found Hypercard and ..... I think I became
an Inventive User (did I regress ?)

I used Hypercard (and now Revolution), but to solve MY problems,
rather than someone elses. Is THAT part of the definition of "Inventive
User" ?

Professional Programmers spend 80% of their time confirming "specs",
and for those specs, then draw flow diagrams and write documentation.
Relatively little of their time is spent on coding and testing. 
Entering the
program into the computer is what I used to call "proof of the pudding".
My programs worked well before I punched my first card.... ! Coding and
testing was boring.

With HC and Rev, these figures don't compute. Daily, I get hours of
satisfaction defining stack layouts and writing scripts. If I had to 
deliver
full documentation to somebody else, so that he could understand and
use my stacks, I would have a lot less FUN. The great side of HC and
Rev is that it is very often "Intuitive". You see the stack window, and 
follow
your nose. Welcome to GUI ! My professional programs were "obtuse".
HC and Rev are in the category "WYSIWYKYCG" (what you see is what
you know you can get), but I am not sure that I would actually SELL one 
of
my stacks, unless I took the FUN out of programming.

Is  "Having Fun"  ALSO  part of the definition of an Inventive User ?

When I delivered my "Professional Programs" to my clients, I prided 
myself
on the fact that somebody might look at my coding and say "That's 
rather neat !".
My HC and Revolution scripts would never stand up to that scrutiny 
(quite the
reverse, in fact), although I admit I use my experience to make the 
window
layouts a pleasure to look at. I also continually add to, or change my 
stacks,
something I couldn't do on a professional basis (you can't change the 
specs
every five minutes !). HC and Revolution are GREAT for this !

Which leaves us with the question "Is Revolution for Fun or for 
Business ?
Because the number of home computers now reaches astronomical
figures, I would put my money on the "FUN" side. Now I can see some of
you guys spluttering with indignation, because they write stacks for 
others,
and sell them. They have to be "Neat",  and "Efficient" ....... and 
"Professional",
and that takes time .... and experience. Most of the FUN has now .....  
gone.

Best from Paris

-Francis

"Nothing should ever be done for the first time !"