| Re: IDL authors - get cracking! [message #36079] |
Tue, 19 August 2003 07:30 |
David Fanning
Messages: 11724
Registered: August 2001
|
Senior Member |
|
|
Richard G. French writes:
> David Fanning, Liam Gumley, and Ron Kling have all written great IDL guides
> that show how to do such things in plain old IDL. I'd be happy to pay for
> new editions of these books that include examples for 'the rest of us' who
> have never done OOP, who have listened patiently to David's comments
> "EVERYTHING is EASY when you use objects!" but have not yet been convinced.
> If iTools really does make OOP a lot easier, and is a true improvement on
> LiveTools (which I always found too slow to be useful), then I'm willing to
> contribute to the wealth of this trio of illustrious authors, or others, who
> will take the time to show us how to take advantage of these new
> capabilities.
I can't speak for the final version of iTools. I've just
returned from a short vacation and haven't yet installed
the official version of IDL 6.0, but I'm afraid I'm going
to have to defer all questions to Liam and Ronn. In fact,
I'm embarrassed to say that even though I have written a LOT
of object programs I find the whole iTool system really,
really difficult to understand.
I'm sure this has nothing to do with iTools, and everything
to do with me, but I'm embarrassed to say it took me the better
part of a week just to figure out how to change the color table
of an image with iImage. As for the rest of it, well... I'm
not sure I have enough brain cells left after a week of hiking
at high elevations to really figure out how it all works.
I can't figure out who the iTool system is written for.
Clearly RSI is totally committed to object graphics. Maybe
that is justified. In any case, I think that train is rolling
and it will be hard to stop. And maybe there are a whole lot
more users than I believe there are who will be satisfied with
the functionality of the out-of-the-box iTools themselves.
But how many of RSI's users will take the next step and
build a tool of their own?
I think the number of people in the IDL community with
the wherewithal to do this is a pretty short list. And
before I saw the iTool system I would have bet some pretty
big money I would have been on it. But clearly this system
is going to pass me by. Unless someone is willing to
offer me big money to learn it, I just don't think
I can muster either the time or interest on my own.
I think, frankly, that *most* of the people on the list
who are going to work with this software already work for
RSI. I think it must be a system built for them to build
applications with. And in that context, it probably does
make sense. It is, truly, a slick system.
It is clear to me that someone spent a LOT of time thinking
about this, and a LOT of time building what we have so far.
(And I am sure more is coming.) If you can figure out how
it works (and I am not sure this is entirely possible from the
documentation I have seen so far [NOT, I remind you, the
official release]), then I think it will be an access
point for building substantial object graphics applications.
I just don't think this system is meant for the programmer/scientists
who make up (I should think) the bulk of RSI's customer base. But
I guess time will tell. :-)
Cheers,
David
--
David W. Fanning, Ph.D.
Fanning Software Consulting, Inc.
Phone: 970-221-0438, E-mail: david@dfanning.com
Coyote's Guide to IDL Programming: http://www.dfanning.com/
Toll-Free IDL Book Orders: 1-888-461-0155
|
|
|
|
comp.lang.idl-pvwave archive
Members
Search
Help
Login
Home
