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Watson - what is so special about it?

 [1/15] from: petr:krenzelok:trz:cz at: 25-Aug-2002 22:36


Hi, That's absolutly unbelievable. OsNews.com editor is excited by something like Watson - Am I blind, or is that just another interface to certain web pages? Kind of wrapper as folks here did for SlashDot. Or is that anything else? I think that that's exactly the area Rebol could shine in - to mine info from web and provide unified interface to it. Kind of a tool folks here did to SlashDot? If users are all crazy about it, time for Rebol to step in :-) http://www.karelia.com/watson/ -pekr-

 [2/15] from: dada:gecko:verizon at: 25-Aug-2002 21:22


One of the things that excited me about Rebol was this kind of cross-platform interconnectivity. True, let's build a Watson-like product in Rebol. Fine. The trouble I've found -- this weekend trying to automate some file handling tasks on my iMac -- is that Rebol is not native to each OS. An instance of Rebol has to be running in order to execute the .r scripts -- or am I missing something? I ended up using Applescript, because it would run on double-click from the desktop. Same with some apps I'm working on for windows -- Rebol has to be running to launch the apps. Is there a way around this? If not, then I'm afraid that platform-dependency is what's going to happen, and Rebol will be lost. Hoping for a solution, sd On Sunday, August 25, 2002, at 04:36 , Petr Krenzelok wrote:
> Hi, > That's absolutly unbelievable. OsNews.com editor is excited by
<<quoted lines omitted: 10>>
> [rebol-request--rebol--com] with "unsubscribe" in the subject, without the > quotes.
------------------------------ sabin densmore www.onegecko.com [sabin--onegecko--com]

 [3/15] from: petr:krenzelok:trz:cz at: 26-Aug-2002 6:11


Sabin Densmore wrote:
> One of the things that excited me about Rebol was this kind of > cross-platform interconnectivity. True, let's build a Watson-like
<<quoted lines omitted: 10>>
> Hoping for a solution, > sd
Sorry, buti it completly escapes my understanding, what you are talking about? How do you want to run Rebol script without running Rebol? And what magic do you think runs your AppleScript? It is too, kind of an application, or at least library or just another system component. I have several icons on my desktop, which refer to running rebol script. Their command line looks like "c:\rebol\rebol.exe -si c:\path-to-script\script.r" What do you mean by platform dependency in regards to being able to execute rebol scripts escapes my imagination too. Isn't that you who is lost? ;-)) -perk-

 [4/15] from: joel:neely:fedex at: 26-Aug-2002 7:19


Hi, Petr, Sabin can correct me if I misunderstood ... Petr Krenzelok wrote:
> Sabin Densmore wrote: > > An instance of Rebol has to be running in order to execute the
<<quoted lines omitted: 7>>
> talking about? How do you want to run Rebol script without > running Rebol? And what magic do you think runs your AppleScript?
... but I believe that Sabin is referring to the fact that a Mac user normally doesn't start an application and then open a file within that application, but simply double-clicks on a document (file) and the appropriate application is automatically launched and the file is loaded (or run, as appropriate). Other interpreted languages I've used in the Mac environment have their own embedded editors; script files are actually created by the interpreter, which records itself as the application to be run when the script file is double-clicked. The "magic" that runs AppleScript (or any other truly Mac-aware language) works in that fashion. The information about which application owns a document is stored in the directory entry, instead of being exposed in the file name, so that the user doesn't normally ever think about it, and can't accidentally mess it up by changing the file name, as can happen in the primitive system used by Visual CP/M (AKA windows). Manipulating this hidden information to change which application runs when a file is double-clicked (e.g. instead of running the text editor used to create the REBOL script file, launch REBOL itself and ask it to load the double-clicked file) is not usually done by end users in MacOS (and they normally don't *need* to do that kind of thing if they use MacOS-aware applications that can create their own types of files). -jn- -- ; Joel Neely joeldotneelyatfedexdotcom REBOL [] do [ do func [s] [ foreach [a b] s [prin b] ] sort/skip do function [s] [t] [ t: "" foreach [a b] s [repend t [b a]] t ] { | e s m!zauafBpcvekexEohthjJakwLrngohOqrlryRnsctdtiub} 2 ]

 [5/15] from: jason::cunliffe::verizon::net at: 26-Aug-2002 1:06


I think he is asking simply for an icon one can double clikc to launch a rebol app ./Jason

 [6/15] from: dada:gecko:verizon at: 26-Aug-2002 9:10


> ... but I believe that Sabin is referring to the fact that a Mac > user normally doesn't start an application and then open a file > within that application, but simply double-clicks on a document > (file) and the appropriate application is automatically launched > and the file is loaded (or run, as appropriate).
Yep. :) That is *exactly* what I'm talking about. And, since OS X doesn't have a Rebol/View port yet, the only option I have is to open terminal, run rebol and then call the script. Or, call the script as an argument to the rebol command from terminal -- either is clumsy for the average user. So, if you want to try and replace Watson with Rebol, there has to be a) an OS X native Rebol/View app, b) a method by which to associate a stand-alone Rebol/View script with a user's pre-existing Rebol/View app. Perhaps someway to package the Rebol/View application and the script as a single download?
>The "magic" that runs AppleScript (or any other truly Mac-aware >language) works in that fashion.
Right :) Not magic, but a process that happens when an application is native to the OS it is running on. This seems to be a weakness with Rebol -- requiring the user to have the development kit installed along with the script you are distributing. Though, it's not a big weakness, because of the small footprint of Rebol in general -- but it did keep me from doing something Rebol does well on Mac OS X. sd -- striving to be unlike gregor samsa : [sabin--onegecko--com] : www.onegecko.com

 [7/15] from: g:santilli:tiscalinet:it at: 26-Aug-2002 13:11


Hi Sabin, On Monday, August 26, 2002, 3:22:16 AM, you wrote: SD> The trouble I've found -- this weekend trying to automate some file SD> handling tasks on my iMac -- is that Rebol is not native to each OS. An SD> instance of Rebol has to be running in order to execute the .r SD> scripts -- or am I missing something? Well, you can't run a Linux application if Linux isn't installed, can you? You can't browse the web if you don't have a web browser. You can't interpret a REBOL script if you don't have a REBOL interpreter. :-) However, if you are interested in creating an executable file out of a REBOL script, you may wish to contact RT about REBOL/Encap. Regards, Gabriele. -- Gabriele Santilli <[g--santilli--tiscalinet--it]> -- REBOL Programmer Amigan -- AGI L'Aquila -- REB: http://web.tiscali.it/rebol/index.r

 [8/15] from: petr:krenzelok:trz:cz at: 26-Aug-2002 16:03


Sabin Densmore wrote:
>> ... but I believe that Sabin is referring to the fact that a Mac >> user normally doesn't start an application and then open a file
<<quoted lines omitted: 20>>
> footprint of Rebol in general -- but it did keep me from doing > something Rebol does well on Mac OS X.
Its BIG weakness of MacOS in fact, which is known to be even more hybrid, than Windows (sorry Joel ;-) If you can't create any type of batch file, shortcut, whatever, telling it to launch View + appropriate script, then well ... :-) -pekr-

 [9/15] from: joel:neely:fedex at: 26-Aug-2002 10:43


Hi, Petr and Sabin, Petr Krenzelok wrote:
> Sabin Densmore wrote: > >> ... but I believe that Sabin is referring to the fact that
<<quoted lines omitted: 11>>
> > from terminal -- either is clumsy for the average user. > >
Those aren't the only options. See below.
> Its BIG weakness of MacOS in fact, which is known to be even > more hybrid, than Windows (sorry Joel ;-) >
Hybrid ?? BSD *nix running on top of a Mach kernel with a GUI front end. Sounds like the kind of hybrid that creates a robust new species to me... ;-)
> If you can't create any type of batch file, shortcut, whatever, > telling it to launch View + appropriate script, then well ... :-) >
But you can! (Remember, think Unix!) Start your script file with #!/usr/local/bin/rebol -sq then chmod the file to +x and it will run directly from the command line. (Of course, the above path should be modified to reflect the actual location of REBOL on your particular box...) -jn- ;; If the Windows are too small, open the door and walk outside!

 [10/15] from: dada:gecko:verizon at: 26-Aug-2002 13:17


> ;; If the Windows are too small, open the door and walk outside!
Neat :) That's fine for me, but what about joe user that doesn't know BSD from LSD? ;) sd -- striving to be unlike gregor samsa : [sabin--onegecko--com] : www.onegecko.com

 [11/15] from: petr:krenzelok:trz:cz at: 26-Aug-2002 20:22


Joel Neely wrote:
>>Its BIG weakness of MacOS in fact, which is known to be even >>more hybrid, than Windows (sorry Joel ;-)
<<quoted lines omitted: 4>>
>GUI front end. Sounds like the kind of hybrid that creates a >robust new species to me... ;-)
uh, who's talking OsX here? :-) I am talking MacOS, which could be emulated on Amiga even faster than it ran on its own hw :-) -pekr-

 [12/15] from: dada:gecko:verizon at: 26-Aug-2002 17:22


But you can! (Remember, think Unix!) Start your script file with #!/usr/local/bin/rebol -sq then chmod the file to +x and it will run directly from the command line. (Of course, the above path should be modified to reflect the actual location of REBOL on your particular box...) -jn- Thanks! :) I'll give that a shot tonight. The big question: is there a way to create an App in rebol and distribute it to a variety of platforms with the Rebol Environment embedded in the App? Know what I mean? sd -- striving to be unlike gregor samsa : [sabin--onegecko--com] : www.onegecko.com

 [13/15] from: joel:neely:fedex at: 26-Aug-2002 16:02


Hi, Petr, Petr Krenzelok wrote:
> uh, who's talking OsX here? :-) I am talking MacOS, which > could be emulated on Amiga even faster than it ran on its > own hw :-) >
I'm a computing scientist, not an archaeologist! ;-) -jn-

 [14/15] from: dada:gecko:verizon at: 26-Aug-2002 17:23


> uh, who's talking OsX here? :-) I am talking MacOS, which could be > emulated on Amiga even faster than it ran on its own hw :-)
Mac OS Classic, though, has a Rebol/View version for it. I'm on OS X. The *sweeeetest* OS evah :) sd -- striving to be unlike gregor samsa : [sabin--onegecko--com] : www.onegecko.com

 [15/15] from: tomc:darkwing:uoregon at: 26-Aug-2002 18:44


Give them the LSD and they might know both On Mon, 26 Aug 2002, Sabin Densmore wrote:

Notes
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