Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rpi!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!samsung!think.com!mintaka!spdcc!dirtydog.ima.isc.com!ism.isc.com!b1!xpert-mailer@expo.lcs.mit.edu From: fischer@iesd.auc.dk (Lars P. Fischer) Newsgroups: comp.windows.x,isc.mail.xpert Subject: Re: XView Toolkit Message-ID: Date: 20 Jun 91 23:17:10 GMT References: <9106180734.AA04888@delphi.uucp>, <1991Jun18.161315@wsl.dec.com> Sender: xpert-request@expo.lcs.mit.edu Organization: Mathematics and Computer Science, University of Aalborg Lines: 39 >>>>> On 18 Jun 91 23:13:15 GMT, klee@wsl.dec.com (Ken Lee) said: >>>>> mago@delphi.it (Giovanni Beani) writes: Giovanni> 2) "What about differences (for a programmer view) between Giovanni> Motif and XView?" Ken> There are lots of little differences. The most important one is that Ken> Motif uses the standard X Toolkit intrinsics library and XView uses a Ken> proprietary intrinsics library. "proprietary" is a bit misleading here. The XView API is *different* from the one used by Intrinsics based toolkits, but it's not proprietary.You can implement this API in any way you wish, for any platform or OS. XView itself is freely available from MIT. Sadly, the free version really works only on Suns, but there's nothing to prevent you from porting it. Even the fonts used are freely available. Ken> The X Toolkit intrinsics are documented by MIT and in many other Ken> books and tutorials. The XView intrinsics are, as far as I know, Ken> documented in only one O'Reilly book. True, but then, how many books do you need? The XView API is really very simple and easy to learn, and the O'Reilly volume does a good job. The Intrinsics based toolkits have one thing in their favor, though. Converting from one Intrinsics based toolkits to another is (theoretically) simple, while converting from XView to, say, OSF/MOTIF is a bigger job. If you plan to much conversion of this kind, take a look at OLIT for OPEN LOOK. Be warned, though, that you will have to think of conversions in advance, i.e. select layouts and features available in both OSF/MOTIF and OPEN LOOK, or else you'll wind up rewriting large parts of the UI anyhow. /Lars -- Lars Fischer, fischer@iesd.auc.dk | It takes an uncommon mind to think of CS Dept., Univ. of Aalborg, DENMARK. | these things. -- Calvin