Re: [MacPerl-Toolbox] Whither Max OSx and MacPerl

[Jeff Lowrey <jeff@firepower.jaral.org>]

>Excuse possibly offtopic question, but how will Perl work with MacOSx.
>Is there some layer of the architecture which will let Perl do all the
>things that are so easy in Unix and difficult or impossible in MacPerl?
>On the other hand, I gather that OSx has some quite different protocols
>for doing GUI things. Just curious and wondering why I hadn't seen this
>matter mentioned.

It hasn't been mentioned recently because it's not relevant to MacPerl per
se.  Perl itself will run out of the box in the unix layer in MacOSX.  As
for making use of the new Cocoa/Aqua interface from pure Perl, that is not
likely to be possible out of the box.  Someone will have to write a Perl
interface to those API's (probably using XS).

Hopefully, however, work will be done for the new release of MacPerl that
will provide a suite of modules for interfacing with the new Cocoa/Aqua
toolbox.  *Presumably* that would be "portable" to Perl - because Perl is
perl (is not PERL)...

> My fantasy is that Apple realizes that once they have
>a Unix operating system, Perl should be made a full partner with
>AppleScript as a means of controling the computer.

Under MacPerl, you have a few separate options for taking full advantage of
AppleEvents right now - the DoAppleScript function, and Chris Nandor's
excellent glue module (Well, and his "raw" AppleEvent stuff too).
AppleScript is just a particular face to AppleEvents.

>To quote an analogy
>once applied to IBM's TSO, I find that in comparison to Perl, writing
>AppleScript about as fun and useful as kicking a dead whale down the
>beach, but everyone in this group already knows that.

Your last sentance assumes a bias that is not as across the board as you
might expect... AppleScript is good for some things that other languages
are not good for.  Although, with Nandor's glue modules, you can do most of
those things in MacPerl as well.

-Jeff Lowrey



==== Want to unsubscribe from this list?
==== Send mail with body "unsubscribe" to macperl-toolbox-request@macperl.org