[Gambas-user] Developing MIDI app with Gambas

[Jean-Francois Perreault]

Rob wrote:

>I've been working on a POSIX component off and on.... maybe I need to
>make a "Linux" component to wrap things like ioctl as well, though I 
>don't think it needs to be part of the Gambas base package.  Despite 
>the arguments in favor of direct arbitrary API access, I think that
>the facts that VB programmers use ActiveX controls vastly more than
>direct API calls, and that the most common interpreted languages 
>under Linux (perl, python and php) are so successful despite no 
>direct API access, demonstrates that a consistent, non-C-like
>component interface is always preferable.  Most of the API calls VB
>programmers do can be replaced with running a program over a pipe and 
>receiving its data, since that option is not available to them under 
>Windows (except, again, using API calls.)
>
>Nonetheless, I hope to see an eventual "direct API access" equivalent 
>in Gambas, because I am lazy :)  
>
>Rob
>
>  
>
I haven't really used activex controls outside of the one supplied with 
visual basic so I always found that limiting
and the problem with the talk to another program through a pipe course 
is that the program has to exist , which it
doesn't if you're not reinventing the wheel , so this means you need to 
know another programmation language -and-
be good at it and at that point why are you using gambas ? just a 
frontend builder ? like glade ? , gambas is more than that

just because most vb programmer are fine with the limited facilities of 
vb doesn't mean no one appreciated the way out API calls offered

I mean if I had been making a midi app , by today I would have a working 
demo , but without api calls I'd be making a module or external program
if you make a module then you have to make something other can use and 
is somewhat well designed or else it won't get distributed with gambas and
you won't be able to distribute you application without getting your 
users to recompile gambas !

components are fine to extend the language and make a friendlier 
interface for beginners , they are not a replacement to full lib access 
and making an
external program is well ... it's a hack , not a solution

python, perl , php , tcl .. etc , they are fine with how they deal with 
this because they aren't as user-oriented as gambas (or something like 
that...)

Jean-Francois Perreault