Path: utzoo!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rutgers!gatech!bloom-beacon!dont-send-mail-to-path-lines
From: jch@stardent.COM (Jan Hardenbergh)
Newsgroups: comp.windows.x
Subject: Re: PHIGS on X on Suns?
Message-ID: <9103111616.AA00224@bacall.Stardent.COM>
Date: 11 Mar 91 16:16:37 GMT
Sender: daemon@athena.mit.edu (Mr Background)
Organization: The Internet
Lines: 41


From: uunet!pilat.silvaco.com!amir (Amir J. Katz (Xpert))
> 1. I have some software that runs on Apollos using 2D-GMR graphic package.
>    I have been told that the closest thing to it in the modern world would
>    be PHIGS. Is that so?

2D-GMR is a 2D integer based display list package. If the display list 
or viewing(matrix) aspects of GMR are important to you then PHIGS is the
right choice.  If not, then you have a wider choice.

> 2. If PHIGS is the answer, are there PD or commercial implementations of
>    PHIGS running on top of X windows? Especially on Sun machines?

Soon.  PEX, the PHIGS Extension to X11 will be available in the same manner
as the X source itself with R5.  But it is BIG and will require a non-trivial
amount of support.

>    My information to date is:
>    - Sun has sunPHIGS, runs on top of SunView,
>    - DEC has its PHIGS
>    - IBM has graPHIGS running on RS/6000.

Every workstation vendor has a PHIGS product at this point. Almost all
run with X.  The current SunPHIGS does not run with X, but Sun has
learned some lessons about being recalcitrant X suppliers and I would
expect SunPHIGS to behave in X soon.

> 3. Sun's Catalyst catalogue list a few companies claiming to have PHIGS:
>    - Template Graphic Software
>    - Unicad
>    - Creative Visual Software
>    None have responded so far to inquiries. Does anyone have any info
>    about these guys and/or their software ?

I've heard of the first two.  I'd stick with vendor supplied PHIGS products.
PHIGS needs lots of platform specific tunning to perform well.

Speaking for myself, 

-Jan "YON" Hardenbergh       jch@stardent.com         (508)-371-9810x261
Stardent Computer, 6 N.E. Tech Center, 521 Virginia Rd,Concord, MA 01742