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From: marbru@attc.UUCP (Martin Brunecky)
Newsgroups: comp.windows.x
Subject: Re: Help on Motif builders
Message-ID: <950@attc.UUCP>
Date: 2 Jan 91 19:38:37 GMT
References: <9012300134.AA17670@gh.sei.cmu.edu>
Reply-To: marbru@auto-trol.UUCP (Martin Brunecky)
Organization: Auto-trol Technology, Denver
Lines: 39

In article <9012300134.AA17670@gh.sei.cmu.edu> Erik.Hardy@SEI.CMU.EDU writes:
>
>But therein lies the 'big win': by shifting the Motif work away from the
>application and away from the dialogue, the designers responsible for
>those tasks are free to work their respective magics without having to deal
>with Xt coding; they work within paradigms that are appropriate to their
>jobs. Motif (or any other technology) integration and maintenance is, and
>should be, left to technology experts.
>
   WHAT technology experts are you talking about ?
   The application writer or the user-interface writer ?

   The application writer must know/understand enough about the principles
   of the Xt user interface methods/style/operation mode to make the
   user interface writer's job even possible. The tool like Serpent is
   no help to him, because he *should not* even attempt to write UI.

   The user interface writer is the likely target of Serpent. However,
   beyond simple test programs, every single application I have seen
   requires damned well and deep knowledge of Xt, Motif (or another
   toolkit). Using UIMS (like Serpent) DOES increase productivity
   in some areas, but those are often the 10% of the entire effort
   (depends great deal on application, I don't happen do design the
    interfaces to "ls" command).

   In my case, I am finding a simplistic tool - Wcl - by fare the most
   adequate. It sure does not have the bells and whistles. But it also
   does not require me to study an entirely new paradigm. It only
   promotes and emphasizes the Xt approach. And it is extensible, easily
   and naturally. And repeating the work that has been done before ?
   What about the cut-and-paste approach so familiar in coding ?



-- 
=*= Opinions presented here are solely of my own and not those of Auto-trol =*=
Martin Brunecky                           {...}sunpeaks!auto-trol!marbru
(303) 252-2499                        (sometimes also:  marbru@auto-trol.COM )
Auto-trol Technology Corp. 12500 North Washington St., Denver, CO 80241-2404