🚀 go-pugleaf

In article <2175@ur-tut.UUCP> syap@ur-tut (James Fitzwilliam) writes:
>Would you recommend Lightspeed C?  Something else?  Pros and Cons...

	Speaking as an independent programmer (and not as an employee
of THINK Technologies, the company that makes LightspeedC), I prefer
LightspeedC simply because it's faster than any other C compiler
on the Mac, and the environment is the cleanest one I've dealt with.
There are other compilers (to wit, MPW)) that produce better code, but
the disadvantages outweigh the benefits gained by using LightspeedC.

>What comes with the package?

	With version 2.15, you get LightspeedC,Unix-compatible libraries
(math, unix routines, stdio, strings, storage, and so on), ResEdit, RMaker,
a converter for Consulair/MDS .Rel files, Compare, and, uh, um, I think
that's it.

>How helpful is the documentation re the Mac, as opposed to C itself?
>   For ex., does it deal with how to create APPLs, DAs, INITs, CDEVs...?

	No. The manual tells you how to use LightspeedC, and how LightspeedC
differs from other C implementations on the Mac, and that's it. There
is a sample editor program, but that's the extent of the Mac stuff.

>   What about information such as the format of a MacPaint file header,
>      or how to deal with MultiFinder, compatibility issues, etc.?

	All this is supplied elsewhere, in Macintosh Technical Notes, 
produced by Apple.

>   Can I get away with not having Inside Macintosh -- for now?

	No. Not no way not no how.

>Are the common elements of the Mac interface -- buttons, dialogs,
>   windows, menus etc. -- supported in some manner of standard library?

	No, but there are companies (Invention Software in Ann Arbor, MI) is 
a good one) that make such things.

>What are the "CAPPs for Lightspeed C" sold by MacConnection?

	Capps is an editor-creation toolkit. (I know, it needs a name
change, and will get one with the next rev.) The routines in Capps supplant
the TE routines built into the Mac ROM, providing extended functionality
such as support for text larger than 32K, and much greater overall performance.
Also included in Capps are libraries for pattern-matched searching and
HFS directory searching, and sample programs that illustrate all this.


			-Rich

Rich Siegel
THINK Technologies


Rich Siegel
Quality Assurance Technician
THINK Technologies Division, Symantec Corp.
Internet: singer@endor.harvard.edu
UUCP: ..harvard!endor!singer
Phone: (617) 275-4800 x305