Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!samsung!munnari.oz.au!bruce!monu1!monu6!minyos!godzilla!mg From: mg@ (Mike Gigante) Newsgroups: comp.sys.sgi Subject: Re: Graphics User Interface Tools Message-ID: Date: 4 Dec 90 20:15:26 GMT References: <9012041404.AA23073@slic.cellbio.duke.edu> Sender: news@minyos.xx.rmit.oz.au Lines: 45 jit@SLIC.CELLBIO.DUKE.EDU (Jit Keong Tan) writes: >I posted request for information for graphical user interface >tools/prototyper/code generator and get a few people asking >me if I have received any response yet, too bad the answer >is NO. >Could anyone from sgi please comment on this issue ? >-------------------------------------------------------- >Jit Keong Tan | internet: jit@slic.cellbio.duke.edu I have also tried to push this one too. I personally regard it as a major painm that there is no GL toolkit provided by SGI. It means that anyone who wants to write interactive graphics programs has to do work that could have been done once by SGI. This means the hundreds/thousands/tens-of-thousands of people out there have to start off doing the same thing! A watste of time! Also it means that there is no similarity b/n applications. Each developer has to write their own tools to assist the implementation of GUIs, and of course always different. Sun had Sunview, the Mac has whatever it is called. Both vendors benefit enormously by having having these toolkits available because applications carry less development overhead and all the applications had a similar look/feel. You don't end up with as many duds.. Anyhow, this seems like flogging a dead horse - I understand that SGI have decided to use Motif as the toolkit for GL programs. I have some reservations about this but until I learn more I will withhold judgement. I still think that SGI should have let the user-interface toolkit project continue through to completion instead of cancelling it in Sept. If you are desperate for some kind of toolkit, you can look at the NASA panel library. If your requirements are very simple, it is a win. It has the disadvantage of having a US only distribution (although it *used* to be freely available...). I personally have found it unsatisfactory but you may want to try it... Mike Gigante, RMIT Australia