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From: waltrip@capd.jhuapl.edu
Newsgroups: comp.sys.next
Subject: Re: why X? what am I missing?
Message-ID: <1991Jan14.173753.1@capd.jhuapl.edu>
Date: 14 Jan 91 22:37:53 GMT
References: <12048.278dfd95@ecs.umass.edu> <130142@gore.com> <1991Jan14.203145.25575@ux1.cso.uiuc.edu>
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In article <1991Jan14.203145.25575@ux1.cso.uiuc.edu>, dorner@pequod.cso.uiuc.edu (Steve Dorner) writes:
> In article <130142@gore.com> jacob@gore.com (Jacob Gore) writes:
>>My father is considering buying a computer to run AutoCAD on.  There are
>>more than 5 people in the world using AutoCAD, as you may know.  I don't
>>know which window system Autodesk used on the Suns--is it X?
> 
> No, it isn't X.  And I think to say "I bet the next one will be X"
> isn't terribly germaine to the question of "what is so wonderful about X?"
	Question is not "what is so wonderful about X?" but why X?  There ARE
	some good features about X but I don't believe anyone reading this
	newsgroup cares other than to be fair (e.g., the poster who noted that
	the security of xhost might be better than the choice of noone or
	everyone having access).  The only reason I can recall anyone posting
	here has given for wanting X for NeXT is so s/he can GET a NeXT.  And
	the reason this is a determining factor is because X applications are
	available and in use.
> 
> Let ME enumerate the applications I've seen on the dozen or so X-running
> machines my coworkers have:
> 
> 1. XTerm
> 2. XEyes
> 3. XWeather (a locally written weather map program)
> 4. Xrn
> 5. Xbiff
> 6. Xroot (sp?) (pretty background pictures)
> 
> Yawn.                                                           
	In our place, we have DECwrite, DECchart, DECdecision and Cadre CASE
	tools.  Some of the DEC editors and the DEC debugger have an X
	(DECwindows) interface.  Other CASE tools (e.g., Software Through
	Pictures) are available through X.  From my VAX/VMS workstation, I can
	access Mathematica on an ULTRIX system via X.  Via X, I can access
	Frame running on a UNIX workstation.  Many accounting packages and
	database front ends are available with X interfaces.  Network
	monitoring software with X interfaces are also available (and, if
	you're not careful, may account for a lot of the network activity
	you're monitoring:^)  If I had a NeXT with an X server, I could access
	this investment in software when I had to but could also enjoy the
	unique benefits of NeXTstep (and everybody else could see what I could
	do that they couldn't and then THEY might start hollering for NeXTs and
	then pretty soon X might disappear).

	I guess the moral of this story is:  if you really want to see X die,
	push to make it available on NeXTs as soon as possible:^)

> 
> I have to agree with the original poster; by far and away most X users
> *I see* are using Xterm just about exclusively, which is handled quite
> nicely on the NeXT by Shell and rlogin.  Or by a Macintosh with uw, for
> that matter.
	Xterm (or DECterm) are used quite a lot here too; but everyone uses
	the GUI when s/he can (that is, when an application permits).
> --
> Steve Dorner, U of Illinois Computing Services Office
> Internet: s-dorner@uiuc.edu  UUCP: uunet!uiucuxc!uiuc.edu!s-dorner

c.f.waltrip

DDN:  waltrip@capsrv.jhuapl.edu

Opinions expressed are my own.