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From: smcl@sytex.com (Scott McLoughlin)
Subject: Re: GNU Extension Language Plans
Message-ID: <s8Douc5w165w@sytex.com>
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Organization: Sytex Access Ltd.
References: <1994Oct22.234437.19222@chemabs.uucp>
Date: Mon, 24 Oct 1994 01:05:27 GMT
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Xref: glinda.oz.cs.cmu.edu comp.lang.tcl:20791 comp.lang.scheme:10552 comp.lang.misc:18353

lvirden@cas.org writes:

> On the other hand, Microsoft has things like visual basic, visual c, visual
> c--, etc. and so they too see the need to provide various programming languag
> into the user community.  Or at least they see the financial benefits.  What
> is interesting is that friends who have these software packages indicate that
> their 'widgets' (extensions, whatever you want to call them) can in many case
> be used across languages - a useful concept which doesn't seem to be making
> it into the Unix arena.
> -- 

Howdy,
        The X-language widgets currently in use are typically
termed "components" in the DOS world and the dominant component
format is called a "VBX", originally a Visual Basic only library
format that became very popular.
        VBX's are _very_ popular. While I don't use them, most
of my colleagues do.  They report that the quality is _very_
_LOW_.  Crash city (GPF, core dump, whatever).  Many will 
say "that's an implementation issue" - which is true. But it's
also an _economic issue_ - the heavy "consumerization" of 
software, including programming tools, in the DOS/Windows
world.  I wouldn't recommend chasing after the MSoft/Intel/
DOS/Windows model of computing, esp. as its shaped up in
the last year or so. I (like many others) am there - it's not
pretty.
        If you're interested in VBX's, though, you can go
out and snag VB for ~100 and a large collection of VBX's
for another ~ 100 dollars or so and go to town. Heck, get
a big C++ compiler for another ~100 or so and you can
write you're own VBX's. Have fun.

=============================================
Scott McLoughlin
Conscious Computing
=============================================
