Parser

[Richard Gaskin]

Mikey wrote:
> I'm also not arguing that the language shouldn't evolve.  I am
> bemoaning the fact that the syntax is more rigid in some areas.

It may be helpful to remember two things as you encounter Rev's slightly 
more rigid syntax relative to HyperCard's:

1. It's a heckuva lot less rigid than C or even Java.

2. It's never done without unquestionably significant benefit to 
performance.

While noble efforts have been made to support even HC-specific 
constructs like marked cards, as well as most of the flexibility of 
xTalks in general, the few areas where Transcript is less forgiving 
represent in each case a very well-thought-out decision to take 
advantage of an opportunity for optimization.

The result is an engine that offers what is arguably the best 
performance of any xTalk, often by several times and sometimes by a few 
orders of magnitude.

So yes, using Transcript effectively means acquiring a very modest level 
of coding discipline over what was required with HyperTalk, but the 
benefits far outweigh the effort.

--
  Richard Gaskin
  Managing Editor, revJournal
  _______________________________________________________
  Rev tips, tutorials and more: http://www.revJournal.com