Editor's Note

Mary Elaine Califf

OODLs of fun

It's here! The long-awaited third article in Jeff Stulin's Macintosh Common Lisp appears in this issue. Read it to find out why Jeff has co-founded MADA's OODL SIG. Also in this issue is an announcement from our first official SIG.

OODLs seem to have become the current fad, but not all of us can, or would be willing to, leave C++, which is familiar, if occasionally frustating. If you think all this talk about OODLs sounds interesting, but you want (or have) to stick with C++, don't miss Jeff Alger's article on Component Software's forthcoming Component Workshop. It provides C++ development in an OODL-style environment. Jeff has talked at length with Component Software and gives us a good look at the future. In September, he'll follow up, reporting on his experiences in using the environment and the provided application framework.

Speaking of application frameworks, most of you know by now that there's a new one looming on the horizon. Ken Addison was on hand for the announcement and talked with some of those involved. His report on Bedrock is in this issue. We plan to have more reports in the future as more technical information becomes available.

You'll also want to catch the article by Nick Nallick (of Ad Lib fame). He shows us how to use behaviors to filter text input in dialogs. And we have an article on object-oriented analysis and design along with the Dogcow and Windows columns.

Coming Next ISSUE

We also have a lot to look forward to in September besides the second article on Component Workshop. You may have noticed that Lonnie Millett's second article on exception handling missed this issue. Lonnie said something about an announcement on June 23 (he's the lead engineer on the MacApp team), but the article is on track for September. We'll also have a second article on object-oriented analysis and design, this one with a full-blown example. Along with these second-part articles will be a piece on expanding views (similar to the Finder's behavior when you look inside a folder in a list view by clicking the arrow) and an article on the implementation of DrawShapes in Prograph, and a review of Ad Lib (the latest in view editors).

Authors and Contributing Editors

FrameWorks is always looking for new authors (and for more articles from old authors). Our now wider field of interest increases the available topics, but we still want to hear about your MacApp-based classes, too. Remember also that regular contributors can become contributing editors who 1) write articles regularly, 2) provide feedback on each issue (usually via an email message), 3) recruit other authors, and 4) get listed in each issue. Write me for more information. n