ScriptLimits (was Re: Rev cgi vs. php)

[Richard Gaskin]

Luis wrote:
> The scriptLimits is a real PITA.
...
> At times it feels like I'm using a trial version, purely because of  
> this.

Back when the engine was owned by MetaCard Corp., Scott Raney's position 
on this was intractable:  he felt there was simply no reason to write 
self-modifying code, and moreover that it was a bad practice anyway.  He 
asserted that in each case where self-modifying code was perceived as 
useful there was probably a better solution available which wouldn't be 
affected by the scriptLimits.

Since acquiring the engine, Kevin Miller's position has been more 
flexible:  if someone feels they have a need to make standalones which 
rely on having no scriptLimits, he's eager to hear from such customers 
and work out a solution for them on a case-by-case basis.


Over the years, going back even before RunRev to the MetaCard days, 
there have been more than a hundred complaints similar to this one.

Yet for all these complaints it's worth noting that they come from a 
relatively small number of people; most developers are unaffected by 
scriptLimits.

And of those who've expressed a desire to see the scriptLimits removed, 
to the best of my knowledge the number of them who have taken Kevin up 
on his offer is even lower:  specifically, zero.


Each time the issue comes up, a request is made here to describe the 
scenario in which scriptLimits appears to prevent desired features the 
developer wants to add to his product.  These requests seem respectful 
and with the good intention of helping people ship their apps without 
compromising features or quality.

To date I can't recall such a description having been posted.


That said, this list has a lot of traffic and I may have missed that 
post, and I'm not in touch with Kevin enough to say with complete 
certainty that he's never been asked to negotiate a custom solution for 
someone regarding scriptLimits.

So please keep in mind that this question is a sincere one, offered in 
the spirit of helpfulness and as an opportunity for us all to learn a 
bit more about how the language can be used:

Under what specific circumstances do the scriptLimits prevent useful 
features in an application you want to build?

It may be that the folks here can help find a simpler solution that 
requires no modification to the engine, or if that turns out not to be 
possible at least encourage communication with Kevin to see that 
specific feature realized.

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