- Joerg wrote:
- [...]
Program languages do save to bitmapfiles, wavfiles. Why not to MIDI? I know, it's an open fileformat and I tried a few things, but the fileformat is tricky, for a hobby programmer like myself.
[..]
The difference is that some file formats are straight forward representations (sometimes called "serialization") of the original data while others are a "description" of the data.
If you took a photo and show it anywhere in the world everyone who is able to see will realise what the photo is about.
But if you "describe" what is shown on the photo (e.g. over a telephone line) things are much harder: The receiver of your description has to know the language you speak. He must understand the meaning and he must be a pretty good painter if he wants to recunstruct the photo by your description. In other words:
It is easy to display a MS Word document in a program if you "took a photo (screenshot) of it" e.g. as a bitmap file.
It is nearly impossible to render it if you only got the "doc(x)" file without having MS Word or at least a Wordviewer or compatible program. "doc", "docx", "rtf" are descriptive (like your phone call) while "bmp", "png", or "jpg" are "serializations" like color spots on a sheet of paper.
Concerning sound files it's pretty much the same. A "wav" file is like a digital recording on a CD. It is a serialization of sound. Nearly everybody is able "to make music" by playing a CD as long as he has got a CD player. (In fact, the wav format very similar to how sound data is stored on a CD).
A midi file is nothing but a description of music. It is sheet music.
"A [hand]written [or printed] form of music notation that uses modern musical symbols." (cited from Wikipedia)
Go out and buy a printed score of a symphony and enjoy it! You can't??? You only see endless symbols representing pitches and durations and parts and lines and dots don't making any music themselves?
So you need a conductor and good musicians and good instruments to get the score alive.
Or the other way round: It's easy to record a concert with your IPhone. But how to get a (printed) score from it?
So for serialization you need some technical equipment - that's all. No matter whether you use a gramophone or a modern PC. It is a 'function' like you said.
For description (and re-performing) you need: skills! (of a composer or musician, of a painter or novel writer - or, in your case - of a programmer).
This is not a 'function'. It is much more. It is, in your words, a program - like Musimat.
- Joerg wrote:
- [...]
Panoramic is the language, which I mostly use at present, because it's easy and application development goes pretty fast. Jack has the ability to make thinks easy for us users. Look what you can do with a few simple commands in Panoramic. This is awesome and I hope there will be a commercial version to ensure further development.
[..]
Of course, Jack could maybe do this job to satisfy
your needs. So he would implement such a 'program' in PANORAMIC you can call by a couple of simple words. Like spinning around a teapot. But - if
I'd prefer a beer glass? If
I don't want it to spin around but to empty it out on the desktop leaving a 'wet' spot on it it?
I'd have to do it myself.
A good programming language can help me to realise and perform my ideas. Like good instruments will help good musicians to perform music. But the job is mine ...
Finally, every good programming language will *degrade* somehow if it gets too complex - i.e. if it handles to many complex jobs for you.
Just look at other languages (From C, C++ Visual C++, C#, ...) or from Java 1 to Java nowadays. They are Jumbo jets now.
I know what I'm speaking of. These languages are part of my every day's job.
But even
they are not able to realise your wishes themselves without your skills.
No - I guess, you and me, we are both here, because we are looking for something much less complex.
For a cesna we can spend a nice week-end with. Aren't we?