Us and them? [was Re: Livecode Dictionary]

[Curry Kenworthy]

Graham:

 > a conflict between the “everyone can code” philosophy [...]
 > and the perceived need to be more professional and serious as a
 > player in the whole software development arena.

Well-said!

Nor should it be assumed that pros and trend-chasers are always 
serious/correct and others are not - I've seen some sloppy "pros" and 
some excellent beginners. People at all levels of software or LC can do 
a great job. (Or not.)

Likewise the trap of assuming that following new trends always brings 
better results. Imagine a Venn diagram between software innovations, 
trends, and another important factor such as quality or efficiency. 
Sometimes or some situations they go together, sometimes not.

 > but it’s not OK if this is at the expense of the kind of user
 > who doesn’t want to distort the way LC works, for example by
 > deprecating stacks that contain both scripts and UI elements

I wasn't aware of a plan or push to deprecate those - I don't follow all 
threads, but I emphatically hope not; bad idea! I want LC stacks to 
remain stacks. Easy to use and learn, self-contained, smart.

Git is also smart, very useful for many situations, but not superior in 
all situations. There are trade-offs, just as there are with agile dev. 
Savvy people are aware of pros and cons. Trend-chasers: maybe not aware. 
Good to have both options.

(If this is referencing my own remarks about mixing data and UI for 
files saved at compiled runtime, that's a completely different matter.)

 > cancelling of the ability of these ordinary users to add notes
 > to the dictionary

Yep, it's worthwhile to keep LC 6 handy for those notes! Highly 
valuable. Continuing user comments for LC 9+ would be a smart move.

Richmond:

 > worrying about Microsoft, if one spends too much time on it can
 > become fairly unhealthy: and what about Apple, Canonical, and
 > so on and so forth?

Tribal identity marketing; be careful for people coming after you with 
OS logos and pitchforks, but I totally agree. Tribalism mindset works 
pretty well for group survival, but fails at most other things including 
accurate assessments. Fun social experiment: "MS and Apple are not 
nearly as different as their fans like to think." :D

 > the Dictionary inwith LiveCode to regain its previous functionality
 > so we can help each other just that wee bit more.

Yep, that would be helpful.

Best wishes,

Curry Kenworthy

Custom Software Development
"Better Methods, Better Results"
LiveCode Training and Consulting
http://livecodeconsulting.com/