Xref: utzoo comp.windows.news:2616 comp.windows.x:37502
Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!qucdn!broekhvn
Organization: Queen's University at Kingston
Date: Thursday, 13 Jun 1991 10:16:24 EDT
From: Kevin Broekhoven <BROEKHVN@QUCDN.QueensU.CA>
Message-ID: <91164.101625BROEKHVN@QUCDN.QueensU.CA>
Newsgroups: comp.windows.news,comp.windows.x
Subject: NeWS "open" / "standard"?

Using the Sun/Scott McNeally definition, OpenLook and X11 are "open" and
"standard" in the sense that the specs are published, they are available
from more that one vendor, and they're available in volume (have I covered
all the bases?)

Where does NeWS fit into all of this?  In the May SunWorld, Scott McNeally
gives an interview where he compares "NeWS to X11" as "Unix to Dos", with
the implication that in some number of years, NeWS will be displacing X11.

Is the technical spec for NeWS published, and freely implementable?  Are there
ports planned to other major platforms?  Or is NeWS a Sun proprietary product
which they expect to be "standard" because Sun will sell it in high volume?
i.e. Will Sun be promoting NeWS as a competing open standard, or as a
"value added" feature of Sun workstations?

I understand that a PostScript extension to X11 is being considered, which
may take a little thunder away from the display postscript abilities of NeWS.

thanks in advance,

Kevin Broekhoven                       Applications Programmer
Computing Services                     Queens University K7L-3N6 (613)545-2235
Bitnet, NetNorth: BROEKHVN at QUCDN    IP: kevin@ccs.QueensU.CA (130.15.48.9)
X.400: Kevin.Broekhoven@QueensU.CA