Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!cs.utexas.edu!usc!ucsd!nosc!logicon.com!trantor.harris-atd.com!trantor!chuck
From: chuck@trantor.harris-atd.com (Chuck Musciano)
Newsgroups: comp.windows.x
Subject: Re: Open Windows 2.0 released (Sun press release)
Message-ID: <4119@trantor.harris-atd.com>
Date: 15 Aug 90 12:20:03 GMT
References: <1990Aug13.200849.22157@elroy.jpl.nasa.gov> <9008141442.AA04085@bach.cs.byu.edu>
Sender: news@trantor.harris-atd.com
Reply-To: chuck@trantor.harris-atd.com (Chuck Musciano)
Organization: Advanced Technology Dept, Harris Corp, Melbourne, FL
Lines: 49


In article <9008141442.AA04085@bach.cs.byu.edu>, mike@BACH.CS.BYU.EDU (Mike Burbidge) writes:
> 
> [ I talk about porting contool to XView ]
> 
> Sounds like you just tried to slap together a small example. I found that
> for any realistically complex application guide dictates its architecture.
> For the small savings up front, I found that using guide was not worth
> comprimising the overall architecture of my application.

     I don't understand how GUIDE dictates the application architecture.
One could say that GUIDE dictates that my tools will have one or more base
windows, and zero or more popup windows, and will use OPEN LOOK widgets.
The underlying application architecture is completely independent.

     The beauty of GUIDE is that I spend only minutes, instead of days,
fiddling with gadget layout.  Window layout is VERY important to the success
of an interface, although to look at most tools available today, most
people don't seem to realize this.  Refining window appearance by iterative
compilation is tedious and error-prone.  Using GUIDE is far superior.

     I have built two tools with GUIDE: contool, and a prototype information
management tool.  Contool is 5,585 lines of code, 1,890 of which are GUIDE-
generated.  Contool is a typical tool, with callbacks implementing various
features, and uses notifier hooks to track the output of your system console.

     The management tool is 11,859 lines of code, 3,904 GUIDE-generated.
It uses a distributed system of daemons communicating via sockets to
manage large distributed databases.  Callbacks are used to manage various
features, and direct xlib calls are used to render the (mostly) graphical
user interface.

     In either case, how did GUIDE influence the underlying architecture?
GUIDE influences part of the look, and most of the feel, of an application,
but not the application architecture.

     In a recent post to the OPEN LOOK mailing list, someone was trying to
get two canvases to align in a certain way in a window.  He had obviously
worked at this for some time, and then took the time to post and wait for
a reply.  If he had used GUIDE, the problem would have been solved in under
ten seconds or so.  That's the power of GUIDE.

Chuck Musciano				ARPA  : chuck@trantor.harris-atd.com
Harris Corporation 			Usenet: ...!uunet!x102a!trantor!chuck
PO Box 37, MS 3A/1912			AT&T  : (407) 727-6131
Melbourne, FL 32902			FAX   : (407) 727-{5118,5227,4004}

I'm glad you asked, son.  Being popular
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