Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!wuarchive!texbell!texsun!newstop!sun!kimba!hvr
From: hvr@kimba.Sun.COM (Heather Rose)
Newsgroups: comp.windows.x
Subject: Re: XView application without olcursor?
Message-ID: <133014@sun.Eng.Sun.COM>
Date: 16 Mar 90 20:46:38 GMT
References: <9003110755.AA20288@Larry.McRCIM.McGill.EDU>
Sender: news@sun.Eng.Sun.COM
Reply-To: hvr@sun.UUCP (Heather Rose)
Organization: Sun Microsystems, Mountain View
Lines: 45

In article <9003110755.AA20288@Larry.McRCIM.McGill.EDU> mouse@LARRY.MCRCIM.MCGILL.EDU (der Mouse) writes:
>>>> This is a valid request for change--if the toolkit cannot find the
>>>> OpenLook fonts, it loads in bitmap data and uses that instead.  The
>>>> only problem we would have with this is increasing the library size.
>>>I thought shared libraries eliminated the problems associated with
>>>growing a library, at least by small amounts (like this).
>
>> You still increase size to handle two cases for rendering.  A size
>> increase is a size increase whether you have shared libraries or not.
>
>Well yes, but a size increase of 2K (say) would likely be tolerable
>whereas a size increase of 2K * number-of-XView-binaries probably would
>not.

It's not a small matter of 2K in the next release.  XView with 3-D look uses
the same rendering scheme of OPEN LOOK glyphs as olwm uses now.  Now,
it's just the olcursor, this summer it will be all buttons, scrollbars,
and other OPEN LOOK glyph objects.  Also, add to that descriptions for
3-D look, so multiply your data objects by 4 (different parts to describe
shadowing).  Also, add to that a multiple sizes.

Also, it's just not a matter of XView clients finding the bitmaps.  The
window manager and other toolkits must also be able to find the bitmaps
and share them.  By using fonts, we allow the X11 server to be the rondevue
point for these sharable glyphs.  There already exists an easy mechanism
to share fonts among multiple clients in X11.

It will take resources to 1) produce all the bitmaps for all sizes plus
both 2-D and 3-D looks, 2) makes changes to olgx and anything else that
needs to be done to the library, 3) devise a scheme to make the bitmaps
shareable among many clients and 4) integrate the changes with new 
development.

Sun does not have the resources to produce this alternate scheme; however, 
if someone else would like to donate this work, we will try to integrate it.

I would suggest starting with converting olgx to use bitmaps instead of
fonts.  Sun has provided olgx as a method for all OPEN LOOK toolkits and
clients to produce the same OPEN LOOK glyphs for their objects.  Thus,
the window manager, the toolkit, and other toolkits share same the look.

__________________________________________________________________
Heather Rose
Window Systems Group                      internet:  hrose@sun.com
Sun Microsystems, Inc.                        uucp:  ...!sun!hrose