Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!ames!eos!shelby!med!hanauma!rick From: rick@hanauma.stanford.edu (Richard Ottolini) Newsgroups: comp.sys.next Subject: Re: Structured Code browser for Objective-C classes ..... Message-ID: <127@med.Stanford.EDU> Date: 27 Sep 89 21:20:34 GMT References: <12146@boulder.Colorado.EDU> Sender: news@med.stanford.edu (USENET News System) Reply-To: rick@hanauma.UUCP (Richard Ottolini) Organization: Stanford University, Dept. of Geophysics Lines: 33 In article <12146@boulder.Colorado.EDU> chase@boulder.Colorado.EDU (Stumpy) writes: >A structured code browser that I have in mind is similar to the Smalltalk >browser. For instance, when I invoke the class view within the IB, I am >able to "see" a class hierarchy and the messages associated with each class. >However, when I attempt to "get at the code" associated with a message >(via a double-click on the message), nothing happens. In Smalltalk, when >you select a message, the code is displayed and the programmer can modify the >code there. > >I think it is a shame that ideas such as a structured code browser are >not included within the NeXT environment. ParcPlace has a product for >the C++ world which does include a structured code browser. Furthermore, >I have heard that Stepstone does have a structured code browser for >Objective-C. Where is it? And why wasn't it included in the IB? > > Structured browsers are harder in C-based languages because they go through two steps of compilation where information MAY be discarded-- first C++/ObjectiveC into straight C where lot of the objectiveness is lost and C into executable where symbols names and structures may be eliminated. Smalltalk was originally interpretated and always kept its object organization around. These days the boundary between interpretation and compilation are less distinct. Smalltalk has a virtual-machine low level code and good C debuggers retain most of the original code information. UNIX/C is gradually acquiring many of the characteristics of the Smalltalk environment, first with objective C, second with NeXTStep, and third with NeXTStep applications. Straight Smalltalk had been painfully slow, even on Xerox machines, until the recent ParcPlace implementations on 10-MIPS+ workstations, so it was a curiosity rather than a platform in most labs.