Xref: utzoo comp.lang.forth:561 comp.lang.postscript:966 comp.windows.news:785 comp.windows.misc:695
Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!lll-winken!lll-tis!helios.ee.lbl.gov!pasteur!ames!elroy!mahendo!wlbr!mh
From: mh@wlbr.EATON.COM (Mike Hoegeman)
Newsgroups: comp.lang.forth,comp.lang.postscript,comp.windows.news,comp.windows.misc
Subject: Re: type checking (I want PostScript) -- give NeWS a try!
Keywords: Forth, Lisp, Interactive PostScript, NeWS
Message-ID: <23378@wlbr.EATON.COM>
Date: 19 Sep 88 23:47:06 GMT
References: <13613@mimsy.UUCP> <3492@phri.UUCP>
Reply-To: mh@wlbr.eaton.com.UUCP (Mike Hoegeman)
Organization: Eaton IMSD, Westlake Village, CA
Lines: 48

In article <3492@phri.UUCP> roy@phri.UUCP (Roy Smith) writes:
>don@brillig.umd.edu.UUCP (Don Hopkins) writes:
  >> If you want to learn PostScript, NeWS is the way to go -- it's an exciting
  >> and gratifying programming environment!  Don't waste your time trying to
  >> learn an interactive interpretive language like PostScript by 
  >> - spooling files
  >> to a laser printer. NeWS isn't just for Display -- it's for Interaction!
  >
  >	While I happen to be a true-blue fan of PostScript, and at least a
  >mild afficiando of NeWS, I can't agree that learning NeWS is the way to learn
  >PostScript.  It's like trying to learn yacc at the same time you are learning
  >C, 
  >or trying to appreciate Shakespere at the same time you are learning how to
  >read. NeWS in a complex system and you can't hope to understand what is going
  >on unless you already know the fundementals of how PostScript works.

I think your analogies are pretty weak. You make it seem like there is
tons and tons of NeWS stuff you have to learn before ever getting your
hands on PostScript and that simply is not true.
  
No one says you HAVE to start out using the NeWS extensions to
postscript.  You can just fire up a psh (PostScript Shell) which gives
you an environment pretty similar to that of a plain 'ol printer and
start typing away!! 

Here's all you have to do. 

	newshost % psh
	newshost % executive
	Welcome to NeWS 1.1
	erasepage 10 10 moveto (Hello world!) show
	:
	...etc...
	:

And, As Don was trying pointing out IT's INTERACTIVE !!  Using a
printer to do PostScript development on is downright primitive in
comparison.  How would you prefer to program in C? By submitting batch
jobs via ftp to some remote machine where it get's compiled and then it
mails you back the errors from the compiler? This is pretty much what
you have to put up with if you are programming in PosctrScript via a
printer.

You don't really have to get into using processes, classes, etc.. at
first if you don't want to but you get the bonus of an interactive
environment and the debugger which is worth the price of NeWS alone if
need to do alot of postscript debugging.

-mike