Re: [MacPerl] Editors

["Alex K Suska" <aksuska@insideflyer.com>]

I used Alpha for a while, and it does have some nifty features, but I found it
slow to launch and run, the interface is confusing, customization options are
limited or not available.  Especially color coding, which you cannot customize
unless you redefine the set colors which I believe changes the color scheme for
all code types.  Also the auto-indent feature is annoying--automatically tabbing
in (tab set cannot be altered) whether you want it to or not.  I could not get
the function popup to work either, but I did not delve deeply into the manual
for instructions.  I maintain the philosophy that if such a basic feature is not
that easily acessible than it isn't worth using.  The MacPerl integration
features are very handy, especailly for CGI work, but BBEdit can accomplish much
the same tasks with a little AppleScript elbow grease. If the above issues are
resolved, I would move to Alpha in a heartbeat and easily pay whatever fee is
required.

-Alex
----------
>From: "Jay Bedsole" <rwdd30@email.sps.mot.com>
>To: mac-perl@iis.ee.ethz.ch
>Subject: Re: [MacPerl] Editors
>Date: Tue, Jul 28, 1998, 5:16 AM
>

>Vicki wrote:
>
>> At 08:37 +0900 98/07/28, dj_feldmeyer@jft.com wrote:
>> > If I'm not mistaken, BBEdit and Alpha are set apart by their 
>> > ability to send  AppleEvents on the closing of a window or 
>> > saving of a file.
>> 
>> More clarification?  I don't understand.  Which does/doesn't do
>> this?  What does this mean to me, the user?
>
>They both do this, which was the point. Most **OTHER** Mac editors
>don't support AppleEvents. What this means to you, the user, is
>that you get a more seamless interface and integrated behaviors.
>
>> I know that if BBEdit is set as the editor choice with Internet
>> config, and you choose Edit from the MacPerl Edit menu, changes
>> to the editor window automagically make themselves known to
>> MacPerl (and vice versa).  I have been told by a reliable source
>> that this does not happen with Alpha. I have not confirmed this.
>
>Not true. Alpha can work this way too. I have confirmed this.
>However Alpha also is MacPerl aware in such a way that it can
>launch MacPerl with the script you're editing and the output,
>errors, etc. are "piped" into Alpha windows. In other words,
>MacPerl seems more like a "plugin" for Alpha. I don't have to
>launch MacPerl - Alpha does this for me automatically and closes
>it back down when I'm done.  Since I don't have a licensed copy
>of BBEdit, I don't know if it can work this way too. To me, this
>seems more intuitive.
>
>> >Alpha also has syntax colouring for MacPerl, etc.
>> 
>> As does BBEdit :-)
>> And line numbering, and function marking, and jump-to, and regex,
>> and...
>
>Ditto for Alpha. Plus keyboard macros, emacs emulation, tcl
>extensibility, HTML functions, templates, auto completion,
>named file markers, interactive spell checker, interactive diff,
>hypertext, and lots, lots more...
>
>Even cooler; Alpha can use a MacPerl script as a built-in filter
>to operate on whatever text you choose. I've added a number of
>filters. For instance, one can strip HTML tags from text (sure, I
>could have a droplet to do this, but with this filter I can select
>a portion of text within Alpha and only operate on this). Other
>more esoteric filters that I've built can transform non-standard
>file formats into standard ones, synchronize embedded data in
>multiple HTML files, sort data in files based on crazy, non-
>standard criteria, perform search and replace operations that are
>just not possible with regex, count "objects" like variables or
>HTML tags, generate CRCs, yadda, yadda, yadda.
>
>Trying to avoid evangelical opinions, I'd be interested in the
>honest assessments of people who have tried and evaluated both.
>This might be useful to others contemplating which editor to get...
>
>...me, I just want to feel good about my choice! [wink]
>
>jay
>
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