Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rutgers!apple!usc!orion.oac.uci.edu!easu052
From: easu052@orion.oac.uci.edu (Thu Ra Tin)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga.advocacy
Subject: Re: Hooks into the OS vs doing it all yourself (Was Re: Clueless Mac<>)
Message-ID: <27AB452F.21925@orion.oac.uci.edu>
Date: 2 Feb 91 23:03:10 GMT
References: <1991Jan31.044116.25645@mintaka.lcs.mit.edu> <1991Feb1.032445.15245@Neon.Stanford.EDU> <1991Feb1.153430.7254@mintaka.lcs.mit.edu>
Distribution: usa
Organization: University of California, Irvine
Lines: 34

In article <1991Feb1.153430.7254@mintaka.lcs.mit.edu> rjc@geech.ai.mit.edu (Ray Cromwell) writes:
>In article <1991Feb1.032445.15245@Neon.Stanford.EDU> torrie@cs.stanford.edu (Evan J Torrie) writes:
>>rjc@geech.ai.mit.edu (Ray Cromwell) writes:
>>
>>>In article <1991Jan31.011702.12095@Neon.Stanford.EDU> torrie@cs.stanford.edu (Evan J Torrie) writes:
>>>   Well the Amiga can do this too, but its not officially supported.
>>>Programs can use input handlers to get mouse/key events before
>>>intuition gets them, programs can SetFunction() OpenWindow, programs
>>>can open their own screen and uses layer's to implement their own 
>>>windowing system. 
>>
>>  This sounds like more of a hacky solution that the Apple method of
>>having a window definition function.  Each definition function must
>>accept and reply to a set of messages which the OS can send it (e.g.
>>DrawFrame, CalcRgns etc.)  This function is compiled as a code segment
>>into a WDEF resource.  
>
>    Input handler's are not hacks, and neither are changing the interface
>via layer's library.  Evidently, you don't much about the Amiga or 
>its interface. Its possible to totally change a window's look without
>much work. Every Amiga window contains a Border structure. A border
>structure consists of a set of points and colors to render for the border
>of the Window. (Border structures are general purpose, they can be used
>with anything as there is a DrawBorder() function.) It's also possible to
>change the gadget imagery on the Amiga quite easily, and there are a number
>of programs like ReplaceGadgets, Newlook,etc  that do this.
>
>>-- 
>>------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>>Evan Torrie.  Stanford University, Class of 199?       torrie@cs.stanford.edu   
>>"She's got a tongue like an electric eel, and she likes the taste of a 
>> man's tonsils!"  - Rik Flashheart

If you guys want to see a comparison of system calls on the Mac and Amiga there is a really good article in September 1986 issue of BYTE written by the programmer who wrote TRUE basic for both computers.  It's on page 250.