Re- Documentation of MCL, Hyp

[STEVE.M@AppleLink.Apple.COM (Aladdin Systems,Steven Mitchell,PRT)]

To:          info-mcl
cc:          Bill St. Clair
From:        Steve Mitchell
Date:        1/1/92
 
Subject: Documentation of MCL, Hypercard and Director
 
Bill:
 
> I have a file called "XCMD-ACCESS" that was published on one of Apple's
> Developer disks a year (??) or two ago. It claims to provide glue for
> calling XCMDs & XFCNs from MCL version 1.3.2.
 
The version of xcmd-access.lisp I have is dated August 15, 1990, and takes
29K of disk space. I got it off Developer CD VI. I think it's been on them
all since then.
 
 
> I doubt it would be hard to convert the file to work in MCL 2.0...
 
It implements only 5 of about 40 HyperCard version 1.x callbacks, but the
basic infrastructure is there. It needs to be upgraded to be HyperCard
version 2.x compatible as well as MCL 2.0 compatible. The callbacks, and
hence XCMDs, that can or should be supported is not clear to me.
 
 
> > While I was browsing along all the file, I found in the Library:Interfaces
> > a file named HyperXCmd.lisp. Does that mean that I can built XCMDs with MCL
> > an d if the answer is yes how can I do that.
> You cannot build XCMDs with MCL. Sorry. For this reason, MCL final will not
> include the file HyperXCmd.lisp
 
Aaargh! That's the INTERFACE file. Whoever converts xcmd-access.lisp will want
it. Same goes for anyone who wants to do their own XCMD interface.
 
The latest I have is dated 2/5/91; it was on the System 7.0b4 CD and shipped
with MCL 2.0b1. Is there a later version?
 
 
> I remember seeing another file on a developer disk which claimed to provide
> interprocess communication between MCL 1.3.2 and HyperCard in System 6.
> I believe it was called "Talk to me". I don't know where to find a copy of
> that file, nor do I know whether it will work in System 7 or with MCL 2.0.
> If anyone does, please speak up.
 
Talk To Me is by Ruben Kleiman. V1.5 was also on Developer CD VI, 1.4 years
ago, and takes about 250K of disk space. My guess is that for MCL<->HyperCard
interfacing it is superceded by AppleEvents. As it has an INIT that installs
an IPC driver it is very hard to image that it could work with System 7.
 
_Steve