There's no place like Home

[Eric Chatonet]

Hi Richard,

I think that a kind of brainstorming from different users and  
programmers (all have not the same needs) could be interesting to  
list features that would be nice to have according to three levels:

1. Beginners
2. Hobbyists
3. Pros *

* Actually, pros don't need a home stack or are able to write their  
own tools (as you do and many among us) but this would help hobbyists  
to go to the next step.

PS. As for the HC Home stack, I just wanted to point out it was a  
kind of automatic back script you can't remove :-)

Le 7 juin 07 à 16:36, Richard Gaskin a écrit :

> Eric Chatonet wrote:
>
>> It could display different things according to a kind of user  
>> level  from a simple stack launcher to a lib and plugin manager,  
>> environment  info and much more.
>> The stacks launcher would includes presentation stacks, videos  
>> and  templates for beginners as well as more sophisticated stuff  
>> about  plugins, building externals, etc. according to the user  
>> level chosen.
>> In addition, and it did not existed in HC of course, internet  
>> links  should be included.
>> As for RevOnline, it would be accessible in all cases directly or   
>> from the home stack but contents showed should reflect the user  
>> level.
>> Actually it could receive the 'Getting Started' and the user  
>> guide  parts of the current help, the help stack being limited to  
>> the  dictionary/glossary, i.e. all things directly related to the  
>> vocabulary.
>
> Good suggestions, thanks.  Since the MC IDE will be incorporating  
> RIP properties going forward, it does make sense to put a component  
> manager/updater into the stack which makes smart use of those.   
> Good idea.
>
>
>> PS1. Richard: actually the HC engine inserts the Home script as a   
>> back script :-)
>
> While the Home stack is in the message path in both HyperCard and  
> Rev, it isn't among the backScripts.  BackScripts were introduced  
> in SuperCard and later added to MetaCard/Revolution, but that  
> specific mechanism was never supported in HyperCard.
>
> HyperCard did support libraries ("start using..."), but the Home  
> stack isn't list among those either.
>
> It seems the Home stack is a special case, inserted into the  
> message path automatically without either of those mechanisms.   
> Given that the development engine requires it there's nothing we  
> can do about that; whether we show it or not that required stack  
> will still be in the message path during development in any IDE.
>
> That said, we can at least be as conscientious about it as possible  
> and not add any other complexities to it, keeping its own handlers  
> to a minimum and not adding any other frontScripts, backScripts, or  
> libraries to it.
>
> With all the talk of open source here lately, anyone here want to  
> take up the task of crafting an updated Home stack for the open  
> source MetaCard IDE?
>
> -- 
>  Richard Gaskin
>  Managing Editor, revJournal

Best regards from Paris,
Eric Chatonet.
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