Describing LiveCode

[JB]

Hi Richmond,

You covered a lot of information in your post.

I know this message does not answer your
question but when they mention C++ and
object-oriented programming they are not
talking about objects like fields & buttons.
If you are interested in object-oriented
programming you might want to skip the
C++ and go straight to objective-C.

John Balgenorth


On Aug 11, 2015, at 10:48 AM, Richmond <richmondmathewson at gmail.com> wrote:

> I am having a problem with a load of belligerent parents who seem quite unable to understand
> what LiveCode is. These parents work at the local Non-Ferrous Metals factory and are highly skilled
> engineers, but learnt their programming when I did (i.e. when the dinosaurs were alive), and
> need to be slapped with a description of the sort they can understand.
> 
> The truth of the matter is that almost all of them are probably about a gazillion times better at FORTAN and Pascal than I ever was . . .
> 
> Saying things like "Hypercard on steroids" brings only blank looks as these poor people, while
> I was enjoying getting bogged down in HC in Carbondale, Illinois, were fighting for survival during the mid-90s economic
> disaster that affected post-Communist countries.
> 
> Now I came across this: http://www.metacard.com/wp1a.html
> 
> "Third generation includes most compiled languages, including older ones such as Pascal, Fortran, C, BASIC (Beginners All-purpose Symbolic Instruction Code), and COBOL (COmmon Business Oriented Language), but also includes newer derivatives like C++ and Java
> 
> "Fourth generation languages are the proprietary languages used to develop database applications
> 
> "Scripting languages, like MetaTalk, Perl, ksh, Tcl, and Python, are most similar to 4GLs,
> but generally are even higher level and were designed to be general purpose tools rather than specifically for dealing with databases "
> 
> which is the sort of 'guff' they will understand [Hey, as far as I am concerned, who gives a "monkey's" -
> does the job, normally marvellously] but only goes half way.
> 
> So . . . ?
> 
> Am I to describe LiveCode as:
> 
> 1. A fifth generation language? and if so, how will I explain the difference between that and 3rd and 4th G languages?
> 
> Directly scriptable objects?
> 
> No compiling nonsense?
> 
> 2. Plastic bath toys?  This will turn these people (with their kids!!!!) off instanter.
> 
> 3. Something else?
> 
> Being a retro sort of chap I just bought (!!!!!) /How to program C++/, second edition, 1998 for the princely sum of 1 Euro . . . well, as far
> as I'm concerned it IS worth having!
> 
> Now, on page 10 it has this to say:
> 
> "C++ . . . provides a number of features that "spruce up" the C language, but more importantly, it provides capabilities for
> /object-oriented programming/."
> 
> Which, from the point of view of a long-term LiveCode monomaniac (me) looks fine until you start looking for buttons, fields
> and so forth . . .
> 
> Anyway, the C++ is going to be my "bathroom book of the month" and we'll see how far it gets me . . .
> 
> HOWEVER, I am still left with these stroppy parents who cannot quite understand what the advantages of LiveCode over Pascal,
> FORTRAN and C++ might possibly be for their pre-adolescent children, because, while those kids might learn to program
> Mickey Mouse guff with LC they will still have to learn a "Real Programming" language when they are older [ this is when I have to
> sit on my hands and count to ten].
> 
> Richmond.
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