Xref: utzoo comp.windows.x.motif:1815 comp.windows.x:32280
Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!sun-barr!olivea!oliveb!tekbspa!mike
From: mike@tss.com (Mike Carl)
Newsgroups: comp.windows.x.motif,comp.windows.x
Subject: Re: X Desktop Environments
Summary: X desktop software/env's
Message-ID: <1991Feb4.221924.22310@tss.com>
Date: 4 Feb 91 22:19:24 GMT
References: <15058@milton.u.washington.edu>
Organization: The Hunter S. Thompson School of Gonzo Journalism
Lines: 42



In-Reply-To: your article <15058@milton.u.washington.edu>

> So my questions are as follows: What experiences have you all had in
> configuring X/Motif environments for naive users? Are the commercial
> packages worthwhile, or is careful set-up of standard tools enough? Is
> there, or is there going to be, some standard OSF-endorsed desktop
> environment?  It seems like this should be a FAQ, although I have never
> seen it asked before.
> 

The degree to which you want to insulate your users depends largely
on what they want to do with the machine.  If they only interact with
a single application, a proper configured .Xdefaults (.Xresources) file or
.Xsessions file should be sufficient.

On the other hand, a desktop manager might be called for if your users
need to perform a variety of file operations or use several applications during
a session.  Most of the ISV desktop offerings (e.g., Looking Glass,
X.desktop) are ideal under the above circumstances.  Since most of these
ISV's have ported to all the *major* platforms, your users get an added
advantage.  The advantage being portability.  Becoming skilled with a
particular UI doesn't go "for not" when they move to a different piece
of hardware.

I would also add that many of the workstation vendors are getting hip
to either layering a third-party desktop or integrating an internally 
developed desktop on top of X.  Some of these home-grown versions are
quite good (e.g., HP's VUE and IBM's AIXWindows Desktop).  The NeXT user
interface is also easy-to-use but I have yet to see or hear of an X
version.  

As for an OSF endorsed desktop package, I think an earlier posting
was on target.  However, the MIT X Consortium is currently hammering
out a definition for a drag and drop model of interaction for X Window
Systems.  Drag and drop has become a popular concern among many desktop
developers.  And when the Consortium makes a document public, I am sure 
it will carry some weight (and not just physically). 


			-- Mike Carl