> A well-designed component framework usually also standardizes and, > ideally, also automates compatibility tests (i.e. tests, if components > can work together or if some need to be updated) and .. dream :-) ... There is potential here, in BeOS scripting (by which I mean BMessage-based scripting, *not* Bash-scripting) -- the only problem is that very few apps really use it well, and some of BeOS's native apps (like Terminal) are halfway-broken in terms of scripting. BeOS scripting is, in my opinion, the platform to really be halfway between CLI-interfacing and component-based interfacing. The only problem is that standardization (by committee, or whatever) never really occured. To script playing a media file on MediaPlayer is not the same as on VLC, and in either case it is a total pain in the ass. {ASIDE: Ideally, both would present a "FILE_NAME" variable and a "PLAY_FILE" executable in the GETSUITES response, and do some checking to make sure someone doesn't use it as an exploit (though with media files that's tough), you could pass a B_REFS_RECIEVED but that only works because you already know its functionality. As it stands, scripting is really only usable as a way to interact with the GUI through the CLI.} Anyways, scripting would allow you to assert a strong division-of-labor principle across the board and even allow an application to send queries and see if any already running apps can perform a desired task. Isaac