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Date: Mon, 29 Jan 2001 11:44:38 -0500
From: John Colagioia <JColagioia@csi.com>
Organization: No Conspiracy Here...
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Subject: Re: Why Inform?
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Adam Conover wrote:

> Ok. Here's something I don't quite get.

[...]

> So, my question is: why are there so many more games released for
> Inform than TADS? I feel like I must be missing something here, some
> huge benefit to using Inform that I haven't considered. Authors: why
> did you choose Inform over TADS? I'm sure this subject has already
> caused enough flame-wars, but think of it as explaining the situation
> to someone who just doesn't get it.

Well, I wouldn't exactly call myself an "author" quite yet, having about
200K of miscellaneous source code intended to be parts of various
semi-abortive games, plus two "finished" works that I'm trying to bring
into a publically-presentable form.

However, I latched onto Inform the moment I saw it, and never really
bothered looking at TADS.  I'd say I found it first, but that's not really
accurate, because I worked with a handful of primitive "adventure
construction sets" about ten years ago.

However, I think the reason is that I simply like the language--it has the
right "feel" for the way I view IF.  I've worked in LOGO, BASIC, Fortran,
Pascal, C, C++, Java, APL, and...well...actually quite a few other
languages.  Inform isn't the pinnacle of object-orientation, but I don't
really see that as a necessity, to be honest.  It has a few "asymmetries"
in its syntax, but I actually find them (relatively) useful, since it
reminds me that I'm working in different "domains" of the game.  It
doesn't look quite like any other language I've used, but, then, given the
list of things I've worked with, that's not really an issue--and, in fact,
I like my languages to look different, for some reason.  If I had one
major complaint with Inform, it's actually the similarities to C, believe
it or not.

To give a quick data point regarding "initial learning curve," I teach a
course in programming languages, and I often use Inform to highlight
certain concepts about objects (inheritance and the like).
Students--graduates and undergraduates--take to it like it was second
nature.  LOGO confused them.  Go figure.

Anyway, one point I do find useful regarding Inform is the Z-Machine.  Not
necessarily because Infocom used it (although that is fairly neat), but
because I know that any game I release (if I were to ever actually finish
and release a game) is usable on literally dozens of platforms, and its
behavior is nearly identical across the board--including on the C=64 that
sits in in my desk drawer and the TRS-80 my friend occasionally boots up
for nostalgia value...

....OK, I haven't quite figured out how to get it TO the TRS-80, yet, but
once I do...


