>---------- >opinion secion - don't read if you are easily offended, or a single minded >FB fantatic. >All opinions expressed are my own, and are not completely thought-out :-) >I welcome any comments or corrections, as I need as much reassurance and >hope as everybody else... > >It seems that FB3 needs firstly to be a C compiler, and secondly a BASIC >compiler if people will want to keep up with all the new Apple >Technologies? Otherwise DCODs (or massive amounts of ASM) will have to >become a way of life for us FBers. I am starting to think that a StazBASIC >plug-in for Codewarrior would have been the best way to go? Even if FB >just traslated all you BASIC source code to some type of C code, then >passed the whole mess (including references to object libraries etc) over >to Codewarrior to compile? This would proberly be easier to write than a >whole enchalda that Staz and Andy are attempting at the moment? >---------- This idea sounds good for current users, but I think this is not best way. Because following reasons. 1) STAZ customers must have CodeWarrior Pro. It's very expensive. (but I bought already... It's really waste of my money and my disk space) 2) I cannot find out how does STAZ get new customer? I wonder if someone who had bought a CW newly want to buy that plug-in. If he (or she) needs to RAD, he will select RealBasic. This solution means a change over FB2 to CW, not FB2 to FB3, I think. I think the most problem is FB has not been major updated for more than 2 years. 2 years... it's unbelievable long long time in computer trade. I used 6100/60AV with 7.5, but now, I change my CPU two times, and now use G3DT266 with 8.5.1. I do think STAZ must be follow latest OS. For example, in 8.0 use Appearance Manager for palette window, in 8.5, FILES$ should use Navigation Services automatically. I will pay for this version up, up to $100. How great works are in progressive in STAZ, if it was not finished, it's nothing for me and all other end users. Dramatic changes, such as PowerPC native compiler, new source code editor, debugger are of course welcome, but there are not still here. I need sure and steady version up. If we wrote good code, it runs many faster than poor RealBasic PPC application and C/C++ PPC application. In fact, my masking (a kind of graphic effect) routine is over 10 times faster than same kind of Native code by others. To think good codes is the highest delight for many programmers. Anyway, I'm not a beta tester of FB^3 so I don't know the advance of it. And my fears may be utterly groundless. I'm sorry I repeat same thing again, but nothing which concerned with FB^3 is appeared in my sight now. I think FB is really great programming environment and I need it. I'm looking forward eagerly to release of new FB. Osamu Shigematsu