[REBOL] Re: Another day, another project
From: ed:brittlestar at: 7-Nov-2003 21:58
Petr wrote:
> Heh - then I am really dumb :-) Sometimes I wonder quite opposite - what
> is other stuff usefull for, while browser plug-ins are imo kind of a
> killer app ... I have to miss something then ...
I think it would be neat to have /Core or /View run in a browser, but I
don't expect it play a factor in the popularity of REBOL. Plugins have
always been reviled by users of all levels. I doubt Flash would be nearly as
popular as it is if it weren't pre-installed with Internet Explorer.
In fairness, Flash is as tiny as /Core, it runs on multiple platforms (the
major ones, at least) and it's quite popular on a large demographic of
websites (sports, entertainment, kids sites, etc.). Plus Macromedia has
comprehensive tools and credibility with designers, something that is not to
be underestimated. Sure, some programmers may despise Flash's creaky
foundation, but enough of them forgive the shortcomings long enough to
produce useful apps. Inexplicably the programming world plods ahead despite
being almost totally incongruous with the REBOL philosophy ;^)
When thinking about a /View plugin, I'm reminded of TCL, which has had a
browser plugin (http://www.tcl.tk/software/plugin/) for a long time, back
when Java applets seemed so promising. Yet it never really took off-- when
is the last time you saw a website with a browser ticklet?
Startups in the thin-client space such as Laszlo
(http://www.laszlosystems.com/) have worked around the plug-in problem by
targeting Flash as the output format (a la RebOldes Flash Generator). And
Laszlo has been attracting investors and building a customer-base, unlike
Curl (http://www.curl.com) which seems to have lost momentum with its heavy
plugin approach.
Ed
