Aug 93 Editorial
Volume Number: 9
Issue Number: 8
Column Tag: The Editor's Page
Off to Script We GoÄ 
By Neil Ticktin, Editor-in-Chief
If you haven’t figured out already, this issue is about scripting. It is a face-off
between AppleScript and Frontier, and in a way it isn’t. It is a face-off because they
can be used to do some of the same things. You can write scripts to drive FileMaker that
perform equally well, using either Frontier or AppleScript.
It isn’t a face-off because Frontier’s feature set is so vastly different from
AppleScript’s that it’s like comparing MacDraw with QuickDraw. They do kind-of the
same thing, but one is system software and the other is a tool for building on that
technology. Frontier goes way beyond application scripting - providing a powerful
script editor and debugger, menubar editor, object database and on-line documentation
tool. Frontier scripts can drive the file system, operating system, networks and
scriptable applications.
Frontier and AppleScript already work very well together and in the future they
will work much more closely. You’ll be able to use Frontier’s script editing and
storage system to develop AppleScript scripts. For example, you can use our language
to drive the system and networks, and use AppleScript to drive a recordable
application.
And both products agree on one very important thing: applications should be
scriptable. Script writers are usually solving problems for a lot of people. As a result,
they can buy hundreds or thousands of copies of your software, but only if it is
scriptable.
As you may remember from our July issue WWDC ‘93 report, Apple is going to
rely very heavily on AppleScript for glue to many of the future technologies (i.e.,
agents, voice recognition). As a magazine, we must think a lot of scripting - our May
issue covered AppleEvents and this issue is on scripting. As a developer, you are better
off to implement AppleEvents now rather than having to play catch up later.
Scripting gurus believe the world of scriptable applications is big - with room
for lots of different approaches and tools. AppleScript and Frontier have similarities
and at the same time, are complementary. Different tools for different jobs. And like
MPW and THINK C, some people will prefer one over another, and some people will use
both.
A Kick in the rear
Frontier first shipped in early 1992 and AppleScript shipped a few months ago,
but one of the most important products to scripting isn’t a scripting tool. As you’ll see
in a product review in this issue, Symantec is shipping a new version of THINK C. This
version is very scriptable. Hopefully, developers will realize the benefits of scripting
when they can benefit themselves from scripting THINK C. This should be the catalyst
we’ve been waiting for.
Oops!
Jeff Kane wrote one of our most successful articles - AppleEvents 101 in the
May ‘93 issue. We printed a rebuttal to his article that turned out not to be his bug.
Evidently, Apple changed the header files and as a result, the definition of the
gestaltPPC constants. Sorry Jeff.
What Do you like about us?
For some time now, you’ve been hearing that “this is your magazine.” Remember
that you need to continue to give us feedback. Do you like the July and August issues?
Do you like the topics and the coverage? What about the new “THINK Top 10” section?
and the TechWord Puzzle? We want to hear from you - so write us and tell us what
you like and what you don’t like (but be nice).
Have you renewed lately
Remember that to continue getting the magazine, you must renew. You can check
the mailing label on the front cover to see when you expire. If you’re within 3-4
months of expiring - it’s time to renew!
And for you newsstand readers out there subscribe! You can receive the
magazine without hassle and for a lot less money if you renew.
Next Month
This month, we weren’t able to cover Pascal and other languages. We had to make
room for a lot of info on scripting. In addition, Jörg Langowski took a break for one
month. Next month, Jörg will be back and we’ll have our more normal set of languages.
Neil Ticktin, Editor-in-Chief