TweetFollow Us on Twitter

Aug 95 Dialog Box
Volume Number:11
Issue Number:8
Column Tag:Dialog Box

Dialog Box

By Neil Ticktin, Editor-in-Chief/Publisher

Internet Coverage Keep it coming

I am very pleased with the May ‘95 issue, in particular with the article by Jon Wiederspan, “Your Very Own Web Server - MacHTTP”. When I got back into programming after doing other things for several years, I balked at learning the Symantec C environment (give me a quick and dirty batch file for compile and link any day) and the 5,000,000 system calls for the Mac OS.

Besides, what I really wanted to do was play on this Internet thing I kept hearing about. So I ramped up on serial communications, plowed through Adam Engst’s Internet Starter Kit for Macintosh, surfed for HTML tutorials, got enlightened with Netscape, and then slammed head-on into the roadblock of UNIX and the Local Internet Provider.

Based on my experience with my soon-to-be-ex provider, the biggest problem with newbies getting on the Net isn’t with the technology learning curve, but with the local access provider, that promises high speed and reliable lines, full Net access, and the ability to publish Web pages. Those promises turn to dust, however, as soon as they’ve been paid, just like used car salesmen.

To get around the service provider “roadblock,” I’ve begun to learn UNIX, and have considered setting up my own HTTP server, so that I would have a better understanding of how the Web works, which would allow me to avoid being BS’ed by the Provider. So Jon Wiederspan’s article couldn’t have come at a better time.

Please continue to publish articles on the behind-the-scenes mechanics of the Web and other Net server/clients. Integrating the HTTP server with a database would be a good topic, especially if the ’base contained different media. For instance, The California Museum of Photography web site, at the University of California, Riverside, runs off of a MacHTTP server and serves pictures.(see http://cmp1.ucr.edu/)

I hope that Jon Wiederspan’s article won’t be the last one on Mac based HTTP servers, and that there will be more about the other behind-the-scenes mechanics of the Internet. These server-side articles would be invaluable to the Net community, as well as to the Internet consumer.

- Stephen McManus

[You asked for it - you got it. In this issue and in the last issue (July), you have a two part series on CGIs. Jon will continue to give us coverage of Internet related topics and how they relate to the Macintosh development community. Let us know what you think and what more you’d like to see! Ed. - nst]

There is a reason!

In the July issue of MacTech, Guy Nicholas asks, and Neil Ticktin echoes, the question: “If they care, why doesn’t Symantec use .SYM debugging information, since it’s a standard?”

There are a couple of technological reasons: First, the .SYM format is not well suited for incremental-linking environments like Symantec C++. The .SYM format is designed around the older operating model which entails doing a complete build of the application, including the link step, and then running the resulting program with a separate debugger. This works well with MPW, but many of us are familiar with MPW’s performance (or comparative lack thereof, Steve Jasik’s IBS notwithstanding). As a counter-example, Metrowerks CodeWarrior also uses the .SYM format, and it works well with CodeWarrior, because CodeWarrior performs a complete link and build of the application (and it does so very quickly), and runs the program under test with a standalone debugger.

THINK C/Symantec C++ has always linked incrementally, and so it’s not practical to use a debug-table model that’s built around a full link step. (Imagine having to do a “Build Application” whenever you wanted to debug your program.) Symantec C++ 8.0 does take a different approach to linking, and so it’s conceivable that the debugger could understand the .SYM format. But this brings us to the next significant technological issue:

The .SYM format is limited. If your debugger is .SYM-driven, then you’re constrained by the amount of information that’s recorded in the SYM file. One of the greatest strengths of the old THINK C debugging environment (which is carried through in Symantec C++) is that the debugger has access to (for all intents and purposes) the same symbolic information that the compiler has access to, for a given context. In some instances the debugger calls upon the compiler to evaluate expressions. This means that, for example, you can use macro names and function calls in an expression in the Data window, which is something you can’t do in any .SYM-format debugger today. Of course, the .SYM format may someday be extended to support this kind of debugging, but right now, it doesn’t.

The point of all this, I guess, is that a company’s choice of technological paths is rarely, if ever, driven by whether or not (or how much) the company “cares”. The choice and implementation of technology is instead driven by the character of the problem that needs to be solved, and by the design constraints extant at the time.

- Rich Siegel
Founder, President, & CEO
Bare Bones Software, Inc.

 

Community Search:
MacTech Search:

Software Updates via MacUpdate

Latest Forum Discussions

See All

Combo Quest (Games)
Combo Quest 1.0 Device: iOS Universal Category: Games Price: $.99, Version: 1.0 (iTunes) Description: Combo Quest is an epic, time tap role-playing adventure. In this unique masterpiece, you are a knight on a heroic quest to retrieve... | Read more »
Hero Emblems (Games)
Hero Emblems 1.0 Device: iOS Universal Category: Games Price: $2.99, Version: 1.0 (iTunes) Description: ** 25% OFF for a limited time to celebrate the release ** ** Note for iPhone 6 user: If it doesn't run fullscreen on your device... | Read more »
Puzzle Blitz (Games)
Puzzle Blitz 1.0 Device: iOS Universal Category: Games Price: $1.99, Version: 1.0 (iTunes) Description: Puzzle Blitz is a frantic puzzle solving race against the clock! Solve as many puzzles as you can, before time runs out! You have... | Read more »
Sky Patrol (Games)
Sky Patrol 1.0.1 Device: iOS Universal Category: Games Price: $1.99, Version: 1.0.1 (iTunes) Description: 'Strategic Twist On The Classic Shooter Genre' - Indie Game Mag... | Read more »
The Princess Bride - The Official Game...
The Princess Bride - The Official Game 1.1 Device: iOS Universal Category: Games Price: $3.99, Version: 1.1 (iTunes) Description: An epic game based on the beloved classic movie? Inconceivable! Play the world of The Princess Bride... | Read more »
Frozen Synapse (Games)
Frozen Synapse 1.0 Device: iOS iPhone Category: Games Price: $2.99, Version: 1.0 (iTunes) Description: Frozen Synapse is a multi-award-winning tactical game. (Full cross-play with desktop and tablet versions) 9/10 Edge 9/10 Eurogamer... | Read more »
Space Marshals (Games)
Space Marshals 1.0.1 Device: iOS Universal Category: Games Price: $4.99, Version: 1.0.1 (iTunes) Description: ### IMPORTANT ### Please note that iPhone 4 is not supported. Space Marshals is a Sci-fi Wild West adventure taking place... | Read more »
Battle Slimes (Games)
Battle Slimes 1.0 Device: iOS Universal Category: Games Price: $1.99, Version: 1.0 (iTunes) Description: BATTLE SLIMES is a fun local multiplayer game. Control speedy & bouncy slime blobs as you compete with friends and family.... | Read more »
Spectrum - 3D Avenue (Games)
Spectrum - 3D Avenue 1.0 Device: iOS Universal Category: Games Price: $2.99, Version: 1.0 (iTunes) Description: "Spectrum is a pretty cool take on twitchy/reaction-based gameplay with enough complexity and style to stand out from the... | Read more »
Drop Wizard (Games)
Drop Wizard 1.0 Device: iOS Universal Category: Games Price: $1.99, Version: 1.0 (iTunes) Description: Bring back the joy of arcade games! Drop Wizard is an action arcade game where you play as Teo, a wizard on a quest to save his... | Read more »

Price Scanner via MacPrices.net

14-inch M4 Pro/M4 Max MacBook Pros on sale th...
Don’t pay full price! Get a new 14″ MacBook Pro with an M4 Pro or M4 Max CPU for up to $320 off Apple’s MSRP this weekend at these retailers…they are the lowest prices available for these MacBook... Read more
Get a 15-inch M4 MacBook Air for $150 off App...
A couple of Apple retailers are offering $150 discounts on new 15″ M4 MacBook Airs this weekend. Prices at these retailers start at $1049: (1): Amazon has new 15″ M4 MacBook Airs on sale for $150 off... Read more
Unreal Mobile is offering a $100 discount on...
Unreal Mobile, an MVNO using AT&T and T-Mobile’s networks, is offering a $100 discount on any new iPhone with service. This includes new iPhone 16 models as well as iPhone 15, 13, and SE phones... Read more
16-inch M4 Pro MacBook Pros on sale for $250-...
Don’t pay full price! Amazon has 16-inch M4 Pro MacBook Pros (Silver or Black colors) on sale right now for up to $300 off Apple’s MSRP. Shipping is free. These are the lowest prices currently... Read more
Get a 14-inch M4 MacBook Pro for up to $240 o...
Amazon is offering a $150-$250 discount on Apple’s 14-inch M4 MacBook Pros right now. Shipping is free. Be sure to select Amazon as the seller, rather than a third-party seller: – 14″ M4 MacBook Pro... Read more
Clearance 14-inch M3 Pro MacBook Pros availab...
B&H Photo has clearance 14″ M3 Pro MacBook Pros (in Black or Silver) on sale for $500 off original MSRP, only $1499. B&H offers free 1-2 day delivery to most US addresses: – 14″ 11-Core M3... Read more
Sams Club is offering a $50 discount on Titan...
Sams Club has Titanium Apple Watch Series 10 models on sale for $50 off Apple’s MSRP. Sams Club Membership required. Note that sale prices are for online orders only, in-store prices may vary. Choose... Read more
Sunday Sale: Apple’s latest 13-inch M4 MacBoo...
Amazon has new 13″ M4 MacBook Airs on sale for $150 off MSRP right now, starting at $849. Sale prices apply to most colors and configurations. Be sure to select Amazon as the seller, rather than a... Read more
Apple’s M4 Mac minis on sale for record-low p...
B&H Photo has M4 and M4 Pro Mac minis in stock and on sale right now for up to $150 off Apple’s MSRP, each including free 1-2 day shipping to most US addresses. Prices start at only $469: – M4... Read more
Week’s Best Deals: 14-inch M4 MacBook Pros fo...
Don’t pay full price! These retailers are offering $200-$250 discounts on new 14-inch M4 MacBook Pros this week…they are the lowest sale prices available for new MacBook Pros: (1): Amazon is offering... Read more

Jobs Board

All contents are Copyright 1984-2011 by Xplain Corporation. All rights reserved. Theme designed by Icreon.