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From: yarnall@opusc.csd.scarolina.edu (Ken Yarnall)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga.tech
Subject: Re: Pipe syntax... I think I'd better think it out again...
Message-ID: <1990Nov19.155212.1477@opusc.csd.scarolina.edu>
Date: 19 Nov 90 15:52:12 GMT
References: <1990Nov18.090654.24747@agate.berkeley.edu> <7072@sugar.hackercorp.com>
Organization: Math Department, University of South Carolina (ahem; The USC)
Lines: 41

In article <7072@sugar.hackercorp.com> peter@sugar.hackercorp.com (Peter da Silva) writes:
+
+The Mac had just come out and I was thinking about visual shells. What I
+came up with was something like this:
+
+Each program has an icon with a set of input and output ports:
+
+	+--------+		+---------+
+	|        |	        |         + O
+      I +  grep  + O          I |   tee   |
+	|        |		|         + O
+	+--------+              +---------+
+
+
+To build a program, you move the icons into place and connect them up with
+lines. Files are represented by tanks:
+
+	     +--------+	  +---------+
+	     |        |   |         +---(workfile)
+( ifile ) ---+  grep  +---+   tee   |
+	     |        |	  |         +---...
+	     +--------+   +---------+

There is a program called AVS (A Visualization System) for Ardent computers
that uses a scheme very similar to this.  There is a bank of icons for
various modules, either built in or user written, that have i/o ports.  You
drag them about and connect them up to build `filters' that process images
you are working on.  It is a truly impressive program.  

This is the nicest idea I've seen thus far for the piping problem.  I know I
said that I was tired of this thread and wasn't gonna post in it anymore, but
this is just too nice to pass up.  Time to think...

+Peter da Silva.   `-_-'

ken
-- 
     Ken Yarnall                 ///   yarnall@usceast.cs.scarolina.EDU
      Math Department, USC   \\\///   yarnall@ucseast.UUCP
       Columbia, S.C. 29208   \\\/   (803)777-5218
    `You'd better tie me up.' -- from the movie, "Tie Me Up, Tie Me Down"