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From: bjb@whuxlb.UUCP
Newsgroups: net.graphics
Subject: Re: Blit solution to windows - (nf)
Message-ID: <1281@whuxlb.UUCP>
Date: Fri, 19-Aug-83 20:56:37 EDT
Article-I.D.: whuxlb.1281
Posted: Fri Aug 19 20:56:37 1983
Date-Received: Sat, 20-Aug-83 09:18:10 EDT
Sender: bjb@whuxlb.UUCP
Organization: Bell Labs, Whippany
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#R:sri-arpa:-426600:whuxlb:20600001:000:1679
whuxlb!bjb    Aug 19 20:56:00 1983


I am not involved in "5620" (the product that sprung from the blit) development,
but I do have a blit and feel that the previous article was rather a large
bit of mis-information.

	The Blit is *NOT* an appropriate solution to the problem of providing
	windows for Unix. It is *HARDWARE* limited in the number of windows it
	supports.
	
The blit is NOT hardware limited to the number of windows (7) that it
supports. The blit driver, internal software and packet format limit
the number of windows. I have been told by a "very reliable" source that
this problem is easily resolved by using some unused bits in the packet.

	The versions I've heard about actually use a separate RS232
	line for each window.

Not only untrue, but silly. I wonder if the author of the original article
is really talking about a blit at all.  The blit has one serial port ONLY!
It has no other i/o other then the keyboard.  The 5620 will have two
serial and one parallel port.
	
	Furthermore, there is no icon support. I realize
	everybody doesn't like icons, but I do, and I think each user should be
	given the choice. This is easy to do, since most icons can be replaced
	by a box containing text ala VisiOn.

Again completely false. The blit has very good icon support. Programs
running in the blit can easily load or change icons. Extensive use of
icons is made by the programs that come with the blit. The blit
(I am not sure about the 5620) even has a icon editor.

The 5620 dot-mapped-display terminal was shown at usenix.  Each of the
assertions made by the author of the previous article would be obviously
and patently untrue to anyone who saw it there.



			B. Beare
			...!whuxlb!bjb