Open Source Kickstarter Report Card

[RunRevPlanet]

 > Irrespective of things taking longer
 > that forecast (or desired)

I understand that things take longer than expected, but when I read the
Kickstarter Campaign it is clear that the new IDE is a core part of the next
generation. It is not a stretch goal, and is repeatedly emphasised as a core
part of the project.

 > Why?

Why do I care about a new IDE, because I know programmers who won't use LiveCode
because of it. Sure, that is their loss and they miss out on the wonderful tool
that is the xTalk language and LiveCode.

But the fact remains that the way a new IDE was a core feature of Kickstarter
Campaign acknowledges that:

 1. The current IDE is less than beautiful.
 2. The current IDE is not designed around today’s usability standards.

For those who like the current LiveCode IDE, that is fine, but you cannot read
the Kickstarter Campaign and tell me that the two points above are not
reasonable.

I will argue most strongly that to be taken seriously and gain traction in the
Open Source world you need a standards compliant IDE.

Even if all the current LiveCode users are happy, first impressions do count for
new users and so the new IDE should be a priority. Before Stretch Goals. Before
anything else announced after the end of the 2013 campaign.

 > if I recall correctly, one of the
 > prerequisites of the "new IDE" was
 > the ability to display a stack in
 > a area in another stack and this
 > engine feature will only be
 > available in the LC 8 series.

That may be so, but the Developer Preview of the LC 8 series is here, and there
is little sign of a modern IDE.

I will be very surprised if a new IDE is released within in the same version
number series. I predict it will be LiveCode 9.0 before an IDE that fulfils the
words below, which are LiveCode Ltd's, not mine:

 "new, beautiful graphical front-end"
 "new visual editor designed around today’s usability standards"

--
Scott McDonald
"Components, Controls, Tools and Resources for LiveCode"
www.runrevplanet.com