OT: Rev's spread to the "dark continents"

[Bob Warren]

Rob Cozens wrote:

 >Hi Bob,

I am an advocate of life-long education, and I very much appreciate
your "ignorance-reducing" commentaries on places and issues of which I
lack direct experience.  Thank you.


---------------------------------------------
Hi Rob,
You're very welcome.

---------------------------------------------
 >One question off the main subject:


 >> I don't want to program in Windows any more and I am waiting for a
 >> hopefully stable 2.7. version of Rev for Linux before I continue my
 >> programming.


 >What is the difference between programming RunRev on Windows, MacOSs,
and Linux?  Visual rendering may be a little different; but if one
programs exclusively in Revolution (ie: no externals or shell
commands), the stack layout and scripts are identical.

 >So why wait?

---------------------------------------------
I don't know about Mac, but between Windows and Linux the main 
difference is in the file systems, and obtaining fundamental OS 
information. My first (and last) programs for Linux were a pair of 
file/picture chooser widgets (see 
http://www.howsoft.com/runrev/stacks.htm ).

So for example, I need to know whether a floppy diskette drive exists or 
doesn't exist on the user's computer so that my program can decide 
whether or not to show an icon. In Windows, I just try reading drive 
"A:\", and if it gives an error I know that it doesn't exist. In Linux, 
you cannot do that. First of all you have to confirm the existence of 
the drive through the FSTAB system file, and if it does exist then you 
need to "mount" the drive so that it can be used. So then you go to the 
Rev function "specialFolderPath" to find out where the FSTAB is stored, 
because the location is variable depending on the exact Linux distro you 
are using. And then you find that Rev haven't implemented it in Linux 
yet, so you cannot use it.

Also, there are inconsistencies between the way things work in Rev 
Windows and Rev Linux. For example, in Windows, when I imported an 
image, I found that the name assigned to the image box created by Rev 
actually included the HD path name as well as the file name of the 
picture (quite a long resulting name in some cases). In Linux, the same 
thing was a little more rational, employing only the actual imported 
file name (not including the HD path) to name the image box created.

Regarding the standalone chooser widgets, the last "fly in the ointment" 
(sorry Dan!) in Linux was the fact that Rev clears the clipboard when 
the program quits! I don't know whether this is supposed to be a bug or 
a feature, but the fact is that it is completely non-standard, and half 
ruined the functionality of my widgets. But of course this is related to 
a shell issue, as you pointed out.

The main difference between the Windows and Linux versions of Rev are 
related to the stability of the IDE, certainly under Ubuntu Linux 5.04 
that I was using at the time. It crashes at the drop of a hat  - for no 
apparent reason, gets stuck in a loop because it cannot decide which of 
its windows to put at the front, shows the colour chooser sometimes and 
not others, accepts CTRL+C for copying to the clipboard sometimes and 
not others, etc., etc., etc. In other words, it is damned annoying (if 
not nearly impossible) to use. However, in all fairness I need to point 
out that Kevin promises a more stable situation in the next version.

Even with this mess, I managed to actually produce my widgets in Rev 
Linux, and much more quickly than I imagined. This is indeed a tribute 
to the power and potential of the Transcript (sorry, "Revolution") 
programming language. [Oh how I wish they could have re-named it 
"RevScript" as somebody suggested. Is it really too late to avoid the 
confusions that are bound to arise by calling the language itself 
"Revolution"?]

Another problem is not Rev's, but mine. Since Microsoft assassinated 
VB6, I have become allergic to Windows. I don't want to use it any more, 
even for Rev. Hopefully, within the next 2 years or so I will be able to 
abandon it completely. And as you know I think that Linux would be an 
excellent solution for ordinary users in Brazil, my adopted home, and 
many other economically similar countries. I want Rev to treat it on a 
par with Windows and Macintosh from now on. Hopefully, they have already 
decided to do so.


Best regards,
Bob