Path: utzoo!utgpu!watmath!att!rutgers!ucsd!swrinde!gem.mps.ohio-state.edu!apple!genbank!ames!ncar!dinl!schwartz
From: schwartz@dinl.uucp (Michael Schwartz)
Newsgroups: comp.windows.ms
Subject: Re: Glockenspiel CommonView for Windows: Any experience?
Keywords: CommonView, class libraries, user interface, Glockenspiel
Message-ID: <1490@dinl.mmc.UUCP>
Date: 16 Nov 89 21:46:39 GMT
References: <15938@bloom-beacon.MIT.EDU> <29237@shemp.CS.UCLA.EDU>
Reply-To: schwartz@dinl.UUCP (Michael Schwartz)
Distribution: na
Organization: Martin Marietta I&CS, Denver CO.
Lines: 40

I have used CommonView for a few months.  I am no expert at the
Glockenspiel classes, though I understand a lot more about C++.

Glockenspiel provides 2 class types.  The first, Containers/FreeStore
are interesting even without Windows.  These provide an inheritance
scheme for collections with a storage management scheme divorced from
the stack.  This is a major advantage for Windows (and also nice for EMS).
They do take a while to write for non-trivial cases, though.

The other class type is the GUI hierarchy.  This is a lowest-common-
denominator approach.  I have found very few real applications that can
be written without using the handle escape-hatch to the underlying
operating system (in my case, windows).  The exceptions would be text
and forms based processing.  These can be done nicely in a portable way
(they are, after all, lowest common denominator applications).

The long range picture is rosier.  I believe C++ is a better language
than C, and that my reusable software base will grow in a better way
using it.  While I have had to write a Circle class on my own, it's
done, and I don't have to do it again (what, Never?).  
Now I'm just waiting for the version 2.0 to be released.

I have had some problems with documentation (which are being corrected),
and have found some applications which blow CommonView apps away by
breaking the DLL.  These bugs have been reported, and I hope they are
fixed soon.

So, while CommonView is no panacea, I think it has a lot of potential.
If (when?) combined with something like Case/W (but extensible for OWN
classes) this will be a major productivity tool.

Michael
-- 
-----------------------
schwartz@pogo.den.mmc.com "Expect everything ... 
mschwartz@mmc.com                   and the unexpected never happens." 
ncar!dinl!schwartz                               --the phantom tollbooth

DISCLAIMER:  The opinions expressesed are not necessarily those of my 
	     employer or myself.