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From: bgeer@javelin.sim.es.com (Bob Geer)
Newsgroups: comp.windows.open-look,comp.windows.x
Subject: Re: Openwin or X11R4
Keywords: OpenWin X11R4
Message-ID: <1991Jun6.150233.7155@javelin.sim.es.com>
Date: 6 Jun 91 15:02:33 GMT
References: <1991May29.144727.5008@javelin.sim.es.com> <1991Jun01.232522.786@shawn.uucp> <1991Jun3.200112.17129@wlbr.imsd.contel.com> <1991Jun06.060759.420@shawn.uucp>
Reply-To: bgeer%javelin@dsd.es.com
Distribution: usa
Organization: Evans & Sutherland Computer Corp., Salt Lake City, Utah
Lines: 45

Literally all of the responses I have received in e-mail or postings
that have made it to our node are favorable to X11R4.  Several
correspondents are neutral or barely favorable to Openwin, many are
downright derrogatory towards it.

Prevailing attitude is, if you have enough disk space, keep both
around, run X11R4, start Openwin only if you need it.  Without enough
disk space, off Openwin.  A few of the Openwin tools are nice, but the
hassles of dealing with Sun's bogus X directory layout is a large
pain.

A couple of considerate individuals included brief instructions for
using Openwin programs under X11R4.  When doing this I ran into "font
not found", "lib___ not current" & "couldn't find xv_get" type error
statements.  These are probably resolvable, but I'm expected to be
productive on my assigned projects, & resolving these things looks
like a short-term career commitment by itself.

So, we're going to off Openwin & load X11R4 & Motif.

EDITORIAL RANTING: I had occasion to hear McNeeley (Sun bigwig) give a
keynote address to the Novelle conference held here in Ootah recently.
His presentation was primarily a bashing of the rest of the
Unix/Networking community for not cowtowing to Sun's attempts to
dominate/direct development of standards.  He was especially
derrogatory towards OSF participants.  He didn't say why Sun's
approach was better; his comments were essentially snide & facetious &
without informational content.  Another comment he made was that you
should "throw away" any workstation you have that you replace with one
of better performance -- a rather arrogant attitude towards those
folks still effectively using Sun3's, & consistent with their stated
intention of not supporting Sun3 SunOS past 4.1 or so.

It looks like Openwin's idiosyncratic implimentation of X is
consistent with the otherwise selfish & arrogant attitude reflected in
the content of McNeeley's address -- any standard, as long as it's
Sun's.

& besides...I don't like their stupid keyboards!

-- 
<> Bob `Bear' Geer <>   bgeer%javelin.sim.es.com   (this *should* work)   <>
<>     cola-zombie <>   speaking only for myself, one of my many tricks   <>
<> Salt Lake City, <>    "We must strive to be more than we are, Lal."    <>
<>          Ootah  <>           -- Cmdr. Data, learning schmaltz          <>