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From: bb@beach.cis.ufl.edu (Brian Bartholomew)
Newsgroups: comp.lang.postscript,comp.unix.aix
Subject: Re: Display PostScript graphics questions
Summary: Dump the X Window System in favor of NextStep
Keywords: PostScript,AIX,X
Message-ID: <24279@uflorida.cis.ufl.EDU>
Date: 1 Sep 90 08:27:06 GMT
References: <1990Aug31.182514.28517@ibmpcug.co.uk>
Sender: news@uflorida.cis.ufl.EDU
Reply-To: bb@beach.cis.ufl.edu (Brian Bartholomew)
Organization: UF CIS Department
Lines: 42


Unless you have some ironclad reason for sticking with the X Window
System (such as, it's written into your contract), I advise
jetisonning it immediately in favor of NextStep.  You have already
gone a third of the way by choosing Display Postscript.  Based on what
I have seen at my site (tripping incredible X programmers who submit
code to an MIT window manager writer, who then proceeds to use it,
versus our area NeXT rep reproducing a complex interface in 9
minutes), you will be doing your business a criminal-sized disservice
by handicapping them with X.  NextStep is so much nicer (read: better
designed, factor of 100 more productive to program), that you will
produce interfaces in a week that would take you several months (I'm
amortizing training times in here also) to reproduce in X.  But, don't
just take my word for it.  Draw out a few sample pictures of an
interface that you would like to impliment, take a few key programmers
along, and let a NeXT sales rep (yes, a salesman, not a programmer)
demonstrate building your interface in 15 minutes.  Then, take the
same drawings to an X programming expert (have fun finding one), and
challenge him to reproduce the performance of the NeXT salesman.
Challenge: I bet that you cannot give me reasons to use X (by private
email, please), that I cannot demonstrate to be flawed or outright
incorrect.  You have already stated that you are going to use an
RS/6000 for a server; a NeXT I or NeXT II makes a dandy workstation.
While you are at it, total up the purchase costs of X analogues of all
the NeXT software that you see that you think would be valuable to
your customers, and add that in with the purchase costs of your X
machines.  Lastly, if you really, really, really want to run a bit of
X, it is already out for the NeXTen.  You can run X and NextStep at
the same time, if you are required to have the X connectivity.  Make
sure you have 16 Megs in the machines that do this, however.


"Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from a rigged demo."
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Brian Bartholomew	UUCP:       ...gatech!uflorida!beach.cis.ufl.edu!bb
University of Florida	Internet:   bb@beach.cis.ufl.edu

--
"Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from a rigged demo."
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Brian Bartholomew	UUCP:       ...gatech!uflorida!beach.cis.ufl.edu!bb
University of Florida	Internet:   bb@beach.cis.ufl.edu