Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!usc!snorkelwacker!bloom-beacon!erik.UUCP!randy
From: randy@erik.UUCP (Randy Brown)
Newsgroups: comp.windows.x
Subject: Re: Styleguide questions
Message-ID: <9008161916.AA21496@erik.uucp>
Date: 16 Aug 90 19:15:38 GMT
Sender: daemon@athena.mit.edu (Mr Background)
Organization: The Internet
Lines: 28

Gregg Jensen (uunet!swbatl!uucigj) writes:
>Between the different style guides are the differences major of minor.
>
>How do Open Look and Motif differ in the style guide. This may be lengthy
>if there has been something written down or published I would like some
>pointers to where I might find it.

We have used XView (very early), AT&T's Open Look widget set, and Motif.
One of our goals is to produce a set of applications consistent enough
that users need learn only domain-specific differences.  One hope is 
that by using a "commercial standard" UI spec, this same consistency 
could be achieved with others' applications as well, allowing our
users (and support staff) to concentrate on application-domain problems,
not on UI questions.

The Open Look style guide was encouragingly useful.  We could settle 
arguments with it.  We have never settled an argument with the Motif
style guide, and I am not hopeful that applications produced by
different groups using this style guide will be useful in mixed sets
without requiring an effort at mental gear-changing by the users.
We are now experimenting with using the IBM SAA Common User Access
Advanced Interface Design Guide (SC26-4582-0) as a style guide with
Motif.

Please, no flames from UI experimenters. That's not what we are doing.
We're just simple folks trying to get through the day WITHOUT doing
UI research and without having pointless, uninformed arguments about
details of UI design.