Re: Future Plans for MCL

[tomd@dfhake.pls.com (Tom Donaldson)]

> To: info-mcl@ministry.cambridge.apple.com
> Newsgroups: comp.lang.lisp.mcl
> From: pkrueger@mahogany120.cray.com (Paul Krueger)
> Subject: Re: Future Plans for MCL
> Message-Id: <1994Feb22.132744.25581@hemlock.cray.com>
> Originator: pkrueger@mahogany120
> Organization: Cray Research, Inc.

> The answer isn't Dylan.  As much as I'd like to see that happen, it has
> much too far to go before it will be as useful as MCL is today.  The
> answer isn't C++.  I can't speak for everyone who has developed applications
> in both languages, but speaking for myself, C++ is comparatively brain-dead.
> The answer is a rejuvinated effort to support MCL.

Yep, Dylan is going nowhere fast.  Even if the language definition were
pinned down right now, which it is not, it will be another year or two
before it could hope to begin to compare favorably to MCL.  Who knows when/if
Dylan will be viable.

As for C++ -- I have used it daily for three and a half years.  It's
essentially a portable, quasi object-oriented, assembler.  It is wonderful
as such, but not something I'd prototype with (oh, but I am) or develop 
applications with (oops! I am again).  Oh well, I should have ObjectCenter
with its C++ interpreter within a couple of weeks -- hmmm, a very, very,
high end environment that attempts to make C++ as easy to use as MCL, and
for which we buy $15-25K workstations; yep, you got it, we buy hardware
just so we can use software -- what a concept!  Too bad I'm trading in my
HP for a Sun SPARC-10 instead of for a PowerPC.

I'm amazed.  At a time when OODL's are getting enormously increased attention
throughout the computing industry, Apple is dropping a very nice one.  I would
have expected the opposite: perhaps a push to make MCL more portable, GUI
and all.  Who needs Dylan -- extend the platform-reach of MCL!!!!!
[Okay -- MIS does not like Lisp syntax, I know, I know, but will Dylan 
ever actually be real?]

MCL is such a nice environment.  Shame it does not run on other platforms.
But then, it's a shame that it's a dead product on its one and only platform.

Oh yeh, one reason I'm moving from HP to Sun is that a new OODL vendor will
be porting to Sun as their first Unix environment.  They will be porting to
PowerPC before then, so maybe I will get a PowerPC for home use -- there I
go again, buying hardware to run software!  Guess I'll never get it right!

Someone referred to Apple's dropping MCL as Apple shooting themselves in the 
foot.  I can come up with a few more appropriate analogies ;->

Someone made the point that Apple has never marketed MCL.  I had not
thought about it, but after Coral was absorbed, I never did see any
ads ... I heard about MCL it via word of mouth from someone I used to work 
with (wonder what's gonna become of HIS project now!).  Not to be rude and 
nosey, but what does a MCL Marketing Manager do all day, anyway?  Oh, can 
someone tell me what the word "oxymoron" means?  I don't have my dictionary 
handy.

--tomd
Standard disclaimer -- I am me, not my company.