There are several freeware Mac development systems out there you can try
if you are interested. Personally, I often use MacMETH Modula-2. It runs
under System 6 or System 7, haven't tried it with System 8. I should post
my version of it on the web as it has a library of Mac Toolbox routines
that for some reason were not included in the usual release. Nice
documentation, too.
I'd also look at Pocket Forth (
http://keaggy.intmed.mcw.edu/pf.html) which
is probably my current favorite programming language. It is very small
but fast and can be used to build nice little standalone apps. If you are
curious as to how I have a recent article in Forth Dimensions that can be
used as a starting point, just let me know.
Others to try would be Yerk and Mops, both similar, both object-oriented
Forths. Yerk is more likely to work on old Macs. I use them when the
project is too large for Pocket Forth's dictionary (a 16-bit Forth, the
others are 32-bit and very powerful, and very well documented)
Aren't most of the IM books, at least the old ones, available from an
Apple web site somewhere? I thought they were.
Also, you'd be surprised (I am) at the amount of software that still runs
on a 12 year old Mac SE under System 6.0.8!
Finally, someone mentioned Apple's MPW as the way to get a CLI on a Mac.
Another possibility is the Alpha text editor which has a command line
shell and uses Tcl as its programming language. I don't think it runs
under System 6, though. If you want one, write your own! Give the app
the type/creator of the Finder, rename it Finder and put it in the System
Folder. When the Mac starts up it will be used in place of the Finder.
- Ron Kneusel
rkneusel_at_mcw.edu
Received on Sun Jan 25 1998 - 10:38:42 GMT