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diff --git a/English.lproj/Moxie Help/pages/faq.html b/English.lproj/Moxie Help/pages/faq.html new file mode 100644 index 0000000..a80cde3 --- /dev/null +++ b/English.lproj/Moxie Help/pages/faq.html @@ -0,0 +1,81 @@ +<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.01 Transitional//EN" + "http://www.w3.org/TR/1999/REC-html401-19991224/loose.dtd"> +<html lang="en"> + <head> + <title>Frequently Asked Questions</title> + <meta name="generator" content="Emacs!"> + </head> + + <body> + <h1>Frequently Asked Questions</h1> + + <dt><strong>How do I write a trigger, alias, or macro?</strong></dt> + <dd> + <p>First of all, Moxie makes no distinction between triggers, aliases, and macros. We + treat all of these things in the same way: as a <a href="plugin.html">plugin</a>.</p> + + <p>All plugins are written in Common Lisp, so you'll have to have some grounding in + Lisp to do anything serious at the moment (although I have some ideas for simpler + interfaces for the non-programming-minded in the future). There are a few support + routines included in the MOXIE <a href="lisp-glossary.html#package">package</a> to + simplify common plugin tasks, such as triggers and aliases.</p> + </dd> + + <dt><strong>LISP?! Why would you do that?</strong></dt> + <dd> + <p>Because I didn't want to have to write my own language for triggers, aliases, and + macros. No matter how much I worked on it, I wasn't going to get the kind of + programmability I wanted without embedding a full programming language. + I also think it's something of a waste of time to learn a new language just for the + purpose of programming a trigger in your MUX client. + </p> + <p>I could have just used AppleScript as the language of choice, and came very + close to doing so a number of times, but I had too much trouble trying to get + AS and ObjC talking as well as I'd liked, and, frankly, I don't consider it to + be full-featured enough.</p> + <p>So I chose to embed a language. There are, theoretically, a fair number + of popular languages I could have embedded, however, I chose Lisp for the + following reasons: + <ul> + <li>Real-time development. I feel that, in the scope of Moxie, having a fully + interactive development style is extremely useful. As far as I know, this + excludes PERL as a possibility.</li> + <li>Lisp has been ratified by ANSI, and is one of the few languages to do so. It + has a very large "library" that is standard from one lisp implementation to the + next, so as long as you've found code that's "Common Lisp" you've found code that + will work with Moxie.</li> + <li>Lisp is the second-oldest language still in use, after FORTRAN. While not + the largest consideration, it does guarantee that there's a fair amount of code + available for free in the world. Emacs, for example, has a huge amount of contributed + Emacs-Lisp code (which, while not common-lisp, is often easily ported).</li> + <li>And finally, because I can. I like Lisp, and I'm writing Moxie, so I get to pick. + "Give me real macros, or give me death!"</li> + </ul> + </p> + </dd> + + <dt><strong>Where can I find more information on Lisp programming?</strong></dt> + <dd> + <p>There are a number of web sites devoted to Lisp programming. Below, I'll list a few + resources that should get you pointed in the right direction: + <ul> + <li><a href="lisp-glossary.html#cliki">CLiki's</a> + <a href="http://www.cliki.net/Online%20Tutorial" target="new">Online Tutorial</a> page + can get you started if you're completely new.</li> + <li><a href="http://www.paulgraham.com" target="new">Paul Graham</a> has a lot of + information on Lisp, including a free book for the more serious programmers.</li> + </ul> + </p> + </dd> + + <dt><strong>What is the REPL?</strong></dt> + <dd> + <p>The <a href="lisp-glossary.html#repl">REPL</a> is your direct + interface to the Lisp sub-system. It is the key to fully interactive programming. Via + the REPL you can input Lisp commands directly and see the results - any Lisp will work + here, including function definitions. This allows you to write a function, test it, and + debug it, all without leaving the REPL, and with a much finer grain of control than with + a compile cycle.</p> + </dd> + </body> +</html> |