ExperLogo

[Info-Mac]

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Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!mhuxr!ihnp4!houxm!vax135!cornell!uw-beaver!info-mac
From: info-mac@uw-beaver
Newsgroups: fa.info-mac
Subject: ExperLogo
Message-ID:
Date: Sun, 27-Jan-85 23:40:21 EST
Article-I.D.: uw-beave.604
Posted: Sun Jan 27 23:40:21 1985
Date-Received: Tue, 29-Jan-85 05:47:45 EST
Sender: daemon@uw-beaver
Organization: U of Washington Computer Science
Lines: 48

From: Wang Zeep

I just borrowed a copy of Experlogo and I'm posting a microreview

Good Points:
This Logo has most of the meaty functions from a real Lisp. It includes
lots of array stuff, properties and even FUNCALL.

The user interface is fairly nice, with an editor window and a listener
window. Applications may make multiple graphics windows.

There is support for the quickdraw graphics part of the tool box.

Bunny graphics support is a faster version of the turtle in most LOGOS,
but these bunnies can be 3d and mapped to a sphere. (Good for maps and
such).

Code runs very fast.

Bad Points:

Error messages are cryptic

Apparently 128K macs can get GC problems.

Math Routines are not bullet-proof (Try incrementing an integer past
32768!)

The compilation phase is slow (the first time you run some code).


Overall: I really like it so far, except for some speed issues.
(The program does take an extra chunk of time to run the first time --
it's building a memory map of some sort.) The true LISP part is pretty
nice, but I wish they had simply ignored MACLISP syntax when they borrowed
functions.(RPLACA should have been set-first, or somesuch). The price is
right and they encourage you to make (2) copies for your own use.
Copy protection is a "validate-once" scheme!


I'll try to put some real code in this weekend, but for $129 (list)
this could be a real bargain (for a 512K Mac -- 128K Macs do have \
memory problems.) This program doesn't compile final applications (no
menu bars, etc.) but it is pretty spiffy.

Wait 'til I can beat on it,
wz
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