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From: pbrown@volcano.Berkeley.EDU (Philip Brown)
Newsgroups: comp.os.os9
Subject: Windows for UNIX... on a CoCo!
Summary: Windows with Level II, remotely
Message-ID: <1990Apr10.003925.10348@agate.berkeley.edu>
Date: 10 Apr 90 00:39:25 GMT
Sender: usenet@agate.berkeley.edu (USENET Administrator;;;;ZU44)
Reply-To: pbrown@volcano.Berkeley.EDU (Philip Brown)
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Organization: University of California, Berkeley
Lines: 37

After playing around with Xwindows for a while, I wanted it for the CoCo,
while I was rlogged in with my modem.But I realized X is Too Big.
   "What a shame.  It's so nice to be able to flick between windows in
    UNIX, just like on my coco with OS9 LII"
 Then I realised that all I wanted was the multiple windows.  So I started to
look at how X-windows does it.  Have you noticed that each window gets its
own tty?
 So I started hunting through the manuals online, and a bit of source.  then
I realised that the thing that gets things done is the window manager,
uwm, gwm, twm, or whichever.  The X system really is not used much.  that's
what xterm is for: to run things(jove, cc, ..anything..!) that weren't 
meant for X, in an X-window.
  Also, while in a session of impromptu core-wars, I found that echoing xxx
>/dev/ttyxx sends something to ANY OTHER PERSONS(or your own) window.
I didn't realise the significance at the time.  what this means, however,
is that window managers DON't CARE about processes:  they just poll the
tty associated with them!!!

  So that should be easy enough.  The hard part is how to get the right 
window on your coco outputting to the correct process.  I presume it's got
to be some special pty function, but I haven't a clue as to what that is.
[note: yes, that WAS _p_ty]
Once I find out, hoowever, it's just a matter of writing a simple terminal
program that, on command, turns OFF it's command filter 
(the thing that filters out unneccessary ESCs, and such), and watches out
for special signals.

     (This is because, while to define a window, all you have to do is
      send 1b 20 x ... etc..., you still have to send it to the right 
      window, and INIZ it if it isn't !!!)

  There you are, for all you UNIX phreaks out there.  help me along, and os9
will be better, and MORE PORTABLE than ever !!!
   * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 
           Philip Brown       pbrown@ocf.berkeley.edu
"I'm living on borrowed RAM"  - Jon Aldrich
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