Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rpi!crdgw1!uunet!mcsun!ukc!stl!stc!poon From: poon@tcom.stc.co.uk (Alfred Poon) Newsgroups: comp.windows.x Subject: Evaluating GUI tools (not quite a summary) Message-ID: <1991May17.102523.13082@tcom.stc.co.uk> Date: 17 May 91 10:25:23 GMT Sender: news@tcom.stc.co.uk (USENET News System) Organization: BNR Europe, New Southgate, London, N11 1HB Lines: 184 Hi, I posted the following article in this newsgroup a couple of weeks ago. > Topic > ===== > Comparative Information on GUIs with APIs supporting C++ on X Windows. > > > We are evaluating GUI packages for incorporation into a large C++ system > running under X Windows. So far we have reduced the list to 6 packages > as follows: > > > - XFaceMaker2 from NSL (based in Paris) > > - Object Interface Library from Solbourne Computers. > > - UIL from OSF Motif > > - Open Interface from Neuron Data. > > - OpenView from HP. > > - Common View from Glockenspiel. > > > > The main criteria we need to judge them on are :- > > Quality of support, completeness of the Motif widget set supported, > ability to run other software in the same system etc.It should be > an International or Industry Standard (widely used or a de-facto standard). > > It would be nice if the same software supported the Open Look `look > and feel` and HP's New Wave. > > We would appreciate any feedback on comparative studies that anyone > may have carried out. Snippets of advice or other information would > also be welcome. A summary of all replies will be posted in here. > > > Thanking you in anticipation. > > O.O > \_/ Alfred Poon. > During the last couple of weeks I have received eight mail messages in reply. Four of them were comments/advices on the subject. The other four were requests for info, and from others in similar situations who would like to exchange info on the subject. I've cut out the following from the responses I've seen. I know it's not much of a summary you might have hoped for, but it's all I can do for now from the replies. Clearly, the area of GUI builders is still very volatile, with so many different tools around, and new ones cripping up constantly. There seems to be a lot of interests around, but no one seems to know fully what's going on. I got the feeling there's a lot of questions being asked, but few answers. Anyway, I'll be continuing with the investigation, probably by asking the tools developers for literature/demos. I'll reply individually to the mail I've received. many thanks Alfred Poon. /************** START ********************************************* = A couple other offerings you may want to consider: = = TAE Plus from COSMIC (telephone 404-542-3265). It was developed for = NASA and supports Motif development, generating C, Ada, = and FORTRAN, and I *believe* C++ in their latest release. = C and C++ are the implementation languages. = = XVT from XVT software (telephone 303-443-4223). It supports either = Motif or OpenLook development. = = We are using DevGuide from Sun. It is a low-cost, fairly nice package = to do high-level interface development, but as it only runs on the Sun = computers and only supports OpenLook development, I suspect it is not = appropriate for your application. Good luck. /********************************************************************* = Check the response to question 70 in the FAQ's: = = 70) Where can I obtain a WYSIWYG interface builder? = = This is no study, but a listing of builders. /********************************************************************* = Have you seen the March 1991 edition of Communications of the ACM? = There is an interesting paper in there called "Human-Computer Interface = Development Tools: A Methodology for their Evaluation" = by Deborah Hix and Robert S. Schulman (pages 75-87) /********************************************************************* = We are in just the same situation as you. I posted a message like this = a couple of weeks ago, and get very little response. My question was = about Object Interface Library / InterViews. My personal opinion is = that OI is not as good choice as IV. OI is now sold to AT&T and the = price is high, and it seems that very few people are using it. IV is a = free GUI from Standford University, it has a mailing list = (interviews@interviews.stanford.edu) and the source seems pretty good. = At the moment I've not tried the OI, but I've read the manual pages. I = think that the OI is done in a 'me too' fashion, and it seems as a C = project hiding inside C++. I.e. you got a member funciton to caught = every internal variable. The problem with both is the lack of good = introduction, at the moment I'm using the man pages, and example = programs. One thing it seems to be a problem which is feared but not = handled is the problem with name clash. If you got the source you = always has the posibility to get out, OI hopes that no-one uses OI_ as = a prefix. /********************************************************************* = A friend of mine passed along a message which you posted to = comp.windows.x concerning portable GUIs supporting C++ on X windows. = I am about to look into such products myself and would appreciate any = information you could give me. I am somewhat familiar with Open = Interface from Neuron Data but do not like their pricing or being = locked into their libraries. The only other one I've heard anything = about is Common View. What can you tell me about Common View? /********************************************************************* = We have been looking at different categories of such tools = and our requirements are: = - a WYSIWYG editor for generating Motif interfaces. = - generate C++ and UIL code. = This tool is meant to offer us a fast way to generate = Motif interfaces and not a more complete UIMS tool. = The category of tools we are looking for is often called = IDT - interactive drawing tool. This category will just = hand us the right C++/UIL-code that we are asking for and = not the complete UIMS-tools with interpreter (C-code), dialog- = languages and other fancy facilities. = Problems with "complete" UIMS-tools are that the are often = using properitary libraries and is offering to much functionality. = = We have seen different kinds of such tool, but just references: = = XBuild (Siemens Nixdorf - see Byte March 91 p. 78) = This tool is said to generate C code, but I have from another = reference seen that it is generating C++. What is right ? = Does anyone have any experiences using this ? = = Other such tools are: = = ixBuild - ixos Germany = Builder Xcessory - Integrated Computer Solutions Inc, USA = ExX - Sunrise Software, USA = OpenDialog - Apollo /*************** End ******************************************** ================================================================================= | "And as his wristwatch ticked off the moments, he approached death knowing | | that the earth and every individual on it, including himself, were merely | | part of a larger cosmic machine whose motion were regular and relentless" | | | | - The Third Wave, Alvin Toffler | | | -- ================================================================================= | Alfred Poon, HCI High Level Design {poon@tcom.stc.co.uk} Tel: +44 1 945 2804 | | BNR Europe(STC Telecoms), Oakleigh Road South, New Southgate, London N11 1HB | =================================================================================