[Pythonmac-SIG] Pythonmac-SIG Digest, Vol 34, Issue 59

[Daniel Lord]

On Feb 11, 2006, at 8:11 PM, Bob Ippolito wrote:

>
> On Feb 11, 2006, at 7:37 PM, Daniel Lord wrote:
>
>>
>> On Feb 11, 2006, at 6:32 PM, pythonmac-sig-request at python.org wrote:
>>
>>> Ronald Oussoren wrote:
>>>
>>>> Totally off-topic, but if you'd move to setuptools you can keep  
>>>> several separate packages, but users could install using  
>>>> 'easy_install appscript' which would then take care of the  
>>>> dependencies for you.
>>>
>>> I think setuptools is going to be a great solution and definitely  
>>> plan to more there eventually. For now though, the mpkg-based  
>>> distribution provides a lower barrier to entry (one less thing to  
>>> install first), and it's a familiar format to all Mac users. One  
>>> of the obvious audiences for appscript is existing  
>>> AppleScripters, who aren't always overly enthusiastic about  
>>> approaching unfamiliar technology, so it keeps things simple for  
>>> them.
>>
>> this is a personal opinion so I don't expect consensus. I _like_  
>> appscript. A lot. HAS did a great job with it. And while I like  
>> the power of Apple Events, I do not like Applescript--the syntax  
>> is not standard by design--it varies from application to  
>> application which in theory means flexibility but in practice  
>> means entropy and chaos. And some application developers cannot  
>> even get the AETE right and so their scripting is broken or at  
>> least crippled. Applescript does not have decent control  
>> structures nor regular expression support. Its file system syntax  
>> is horrific. I applaud the idea and the 'dream'--it just fell far  
>> short in practice. So using Python or Perl, whose syntax and  
>> language elements don't vary much from application to application  
>> is much better. The objects can vary--just not how to address  
>> them. I have used Mac::Glue with Perl, appscript with Python  
>> satisfactorily though I wish Apple would build in Apple Event  
>> support for those languages.
>
> That's irrelevant to appscript.  If you're disappointed with the  
> inconsistency of a given application's scripting dictionary then  
> complain to the developer.  Apple can't do a damn thing about it  
> (unless of course they're the developer of the given app).  Apple  
> can't "build in support" for Python that would really be any  
> different than what current solutions offer.  What they could do is  
> offer better tools for creating scripting dictionaries, and more  
> documentation on the topic, but that's about it.
>
> -bob
>

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