| Re: should I get Mac IDL 4 or 5? [message #10124 is a reply to message #10109] |
Mon, 20 October 1997 00:00  |
davidf
Messages: 2866
Registered: September 1996
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Senior Member |
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Mark Faradal (fardal@shapley.colorado.edu) writes:
> I want to get IDL for the Mac, since it's cheap for CU students.
> Now, I can only get one release, either IDL 4 or 5. And some
> people have complained about the stability of IDL5 for the
> Mac--tends to crash machines (even with OS8) and so forth. I'm
> not really using the new features of IDL5 right now, although in
> theory it would be nice to have 5 for consistency with the unix boxes
> at work. So are the complaints justified? Does RSI ever release bug
> fixes? And which version should I get?
I, too, have encountered a number of problems with IDL 5
on a Macintosh, but none have been show-stoppers and most
have concerned IDL 5 functionality, which is to be expected.
Personally, I think it would be a huge mistake for you
to purchase IDL 4. As someone who tries to be sensitive
to the needs of the people who use my software, I can tell
you that it is a huge and painful job to write IDL programs
that run successfully on different versions of the software.
In fact, it is so time consuming to do that I have basically
given up and decreed that all my new programs and program
updates will be written for IDL 5. Period.
I am sure other people who write IDL programs will do this
as well. Thus, if you are stuck with an IDL 4 version of
the software, you will be increasingly isolated from software
other people write and you want to use. This will cause you, I
believe, a whole lot more frustration in the long run than the
occasional crashes, etc, that you might experience with IDL 5.
Cheers,
David
-----------------------------------------------------------
David Fanning, Ph.D.
Fanning Software Consulting
E-Mail: davidf@dfanning.com
Phone: 970-221-0438
Coyote's Guide to IDL Programming: http://www.dfanning.com/
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