Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!samsung!munnari.oz.au!metro!usage.csd.unsw.oz.au!decus!taylort
From: taylort@decus.com.au (Trevor Taylor)
Newsgroups: comp.windows.x
Subject: Re: Flaw in Xt init sequence (but with simple fix)
Message-ID: <9268.27dab2ec@decus.com.au>
Date: 10 Mar 91 12:27:56 GMT
References: <1991Feb28.005057.24723@watdragon.waterloo.edu>
Organization: DECUS, South Pacific Chapter
Lines: 35

In article <1991Feb28.005057.24723@watdragon.waterloo.edu>, tbray@watsol.waterloo.edu (Tim Bray) writes:
> Suppose I have a widget set called Xn. Suppose I need some general-purpose
> initialization done.  This is generally done by having a file called Vendor.c,
> ...
> ...
> SAMPLE PROBLEM: IBM's AIX on the RS/6000 supports shared libraries.  Shared
> libraries are a Good Thing; in fact with software as bloated as Xlib, Xt and
> Xn, it verges on criminal negligence not to use them if they're there.

Let's ignore the arguments about AIX being non-UNIX. I have the
same problem on VMS, which is most definitely non-UNIX, and the
problem is with the Athena widgets -- yes, the very widget set
which MIT distributes!!!

> Or am I missing some terribly obvious point?

No, you are not. I think it is a "bad" assumption on the part 
of the Intrinsics that Vendor.c can be replaced at will. We
do need some form of pre-initialisation BEFORE XtInitialize().
In particular, the Athena widgets need to register some type 
converters.

I posted a question on this to the net recently and got no
response. In desperation, I mailed Chris Petersen, because
his name appears in some of the Athena widgets. To quote 
part of his response: "Sounds like you are hosed ..."

Maybe we could have a pre-initialization function in R5???

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