the char number of char 1 of word x

[Randall Lee Reetz]

Wait a min bill.  There was confusion on this list because i was trying to describe something that doesnt exist... If it existed there would be a standard, and unique way to script it (not confusing to humans or the interpreter).

-----Original Message-----
From: "Bill Marriott" <wjm at wjm.org>
To: use-revolution at lists.runrev.com
Sent: 12/31/2007 1:23 PM
Subject: Re: the char number of char 1 of word x

Hi Randall,

Each new release of Revolution brings enhancements to the xTalk language. In 
Revolution 2.9 Beta 9, we introduced the new terms "begins with" and "ends 
with" for string comparisons, for example. Looking forward, we hope to 
consider columns in tabular data as a chunk. Whether we add the specific 
syntax you suggested remains to be seen.

> When we are each required to write low level functions  for common 
> requests "Which word contains char 33", we are pulled away  from the 
> higher level tasks at hand

I don't consider the work needed to get what you wanted to be terribly 
low-level. Looking at your list of desired syntax, these are readily solved 
with just one or two lines of xTalk using the current chunk expressions. In 
fact, relative to any other language out there, they are a piece of cake. 
(And execute extremely quickly.)

The difficulty was understanding what you wanted in the first place. I think 
you received seven different interpretations of your original request! 
Imagine how a computer would struggle with this.

This reminds me a little bit of handwriting recognition. Apple Newton tried 
to do it full-on and the result was "Newton Poetry" with hilarious 
misinterpretations of what people wrote. Palm trumped it with Graffiti, 
which required a slight adjustment on the user's part when it came to how 
letters were written, but yielded superior results. Nowadays, it seems the 
inelegant keyboard is still the king of the hill as most people prefer it to 
either -- even though handwriting recognition and processor power has 
advanced considerably since 1993. Even on tiny devices like the Blackberry, 
using just their thumbs, people find a physical keyboard faster and more 
precise.

Will we ever get to a day when people can talk to their computers ala Star 
Trek? Probably. But be prepared for some hiccups along the way.

http://www.zuschlogin.com/content/blogimages/scotty_trek4.jpg

> I would hope that we all continue to respect Bill's  original intent by 
> remembering and honoring the elegance and  egalitarian humanity of his 
> work.  This respect should go beyond  simple romanticism.  It should guide 
> our purchasing decisions and our  expectations afterwards.

I hope by this you are urging everyone to continue to invest in Revolution, 
which is the most popular and most advanced incarnation of Atkinson's dream 
to date, more accessible than ever before (starting at $49 and running on 
all major platforms) and exploiting the capabilities of those platforms to 
the utmost. When I think of how far Revolution has come compared to any 
corresponding span of time under Apple's stewardship (and their vastly 
larger resources) I'm pretty impressed.

- Bill, RunRev marketing guy
http://runrev.com/offers/rshb 



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