The future of LiveCode

[Ken Corey]

The problem I had when I was starting LiveCode is that the information 
is scattered all over here and there.

I was interested in LiveCode for mobile development.  I started with the 
User Guide.

I wanted to create a button on the screen.  Okay, so create a new Main 
stack, drag the button out, drop it on the stack, boy this is /easy/!

Let's try a few things on the desktop.  Man, piece of cake!  Now, let's 
try it on the iPhone.

Oh..uh..I have to configure the standalone settings.  Where's that 
documented?  Not the User Guide.  I searched high and low before someone 
suggested the iOS release notes.

Well, that's helpful. Okay, start digging around there. Oh, in 5.5.1, my 
iOS Release Notes are greyed out.  hrm.

Try the dictionary.  Well, that helps me learn about buttons, but isn't 
much good for standalones.

Hrm, Okay, ask a question on the forums.  Well, that is hit or miss. 
Just play with the form until I get something working.  Thank goodness 
I'd done a little ObjectiveC work before.

Okay, finally got the app on the iPhone...wait a minute!?! WTF? A Motif 
button!?!

I think I found out about the iphone* calls when I hit this mailing 
list.  This mailing list seems to be quite good, usually, for information.

Later I wanted to do things for Android, and only then found out about 
the mobile* calls, which may/may not work on iPhone.

So, to recap, if I want to find out about a feature, I need to check:
1) User Guide
2) platform release notes, if applicable
3) Dictionary
4) the forums
5) the mailing lists
6) the example code and the tutorials
7) the academies
8) RevOnline might have examples too...maybe.

Oh bother! Now when I hit a roadblock I generally Google it first, as 
that seems to be the fastest way to learn about something.

Bottom Line, you simply can't say "Oh, we have a User Guide, if only 
you'd read it."

And all that was just for a button on iOS.  Try finding documentation on 
an accepted, approved, normal way to create a library!

The User Guide is a necessary part of the study of LiveCode, but only a 
part.

Perhaps Colin's book will plug the gaps, but my intuition says it will 
simply be yet another source of information that Colin will struggle to 
keep pace with LiveCode.

Hey, at this rate, we'll hit double digits of information sources soon!

-Ken

On 20/07/2012 19:31, Richard Gaskin wrote:
> Serious question:
>
> How many of the people who say they'd learn LiveCode better if there was
> a book they could read have read even a third of the 387 pages
> comprising the User Guide they already have?
>
> --
>   Richard Gaskin
>   Fourth World
>   LiveCode training and consulting: http://www.fourthworld.com
>   Webzine for LiveCode developers: http://www.LiveCodeJournal.com
>   Follow me on Twitter:  http://twitter.com/FourthWorldSys
>
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