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Profile: Typeset
Issue: 1.5 (April/May 2003)
Author: Brian Jones
Article Description: No description available.
Article Length (in bytes): 3,822
Starting Page Number: 10
Article Number: 1507
Related Link(s): None
Excerpt of article text...
One of the most commonly held misconceptions about REALbasic applications is that their interfaces are jumbled, unprofessional messes. The relatively easy learning curve involved in developing for REALbasic means that many applications out there made with REALbasic are released without the kind of polish that a more professional developer might insist upon. The problem with these generalizations is twofold. First, there are a lot of ugly applications made with "normal" development tools, too. Second, the better REALbasic applications cannot be enlisted to dispel these myths because people can rarely tell they are made with REALbasic.
Another common problem cited by developers is that they cannot use REALbasic because its drawing routines are too slow. For some game applications, this is true. The generally focused REALbasic drawing routines have not been optimized for game-type performance; however, for almost every other situation, REALbasic can get the job done.
Typeset is an excellent example of a program that overcomes both of these issues. It is a remarkably full-featured font viewing application that allows users to tweak settings to preview fonts, manage font lists, and search through installed and uninstalled fonts to find the perfect match. Typeset's interface shows the potential for creating current, attractive, and well-designed interfaces using REALbasic. As a font viewer, Typeset is called upon to do a lot of complicated drawing, and it performs this task beautifully and fluidly. In its interface and impressive text drawing, Typeset is a great ambassador for the possibilities of REALbasic development.
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