Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.2 9/18/84; site osiris.UUCP Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!mhuxr!ihnp4!houxm!whuxl!whuxlm!harpo!decvax!genrad!panda!talcott!harvard!seismo!umcp-cs!aplvax!osiris!eric From: eric@osiris.UUCP (Eric Bergan) Newsgroups: net.micro Subject: Re: AT&T 7300 Message-ID: <216@osiris.UUCP> Date: Wed, 3-Apr-85 08:10:39 EST Article-I.D.: osiris.216 Posted: Wed Apr 3 08:10:39 1985 Date-Received: Fri, 5-Apr-85 04:32:15 EST References: <1830@seismo.UUCP> Organization: Johns Hopkins Hospital Lines: 85 > I played with a 7300 for an hour or so and came away relatively unimpressed. We were one of the Beta sites for the 7300, I have had one for about 4 months, and would like to comment on some of the statements. > It runs Convergent's paging version of System V and > 1/2 meg isn't enough memory, or at least, something was doing a LOT > of needless I/O if it wasn't paging. Certainly true, and AT&T is aware of it. Supposedly, they are to recommend 1M for all "serious" users. The impact on windowing and general system performance has to be seen to be believed. I struggled with a 1/2M system for about a month - and the difference is very noticeable. > The machine can't decided what the interface paradigm should be: it has > a mouse and tries to do windows (more about that later) but it also has > as many special function keys as alphabetics! Some things you get with > the mouse, but some things it seems you can only get with the function keys. I have not found this to be the case. The middle mouse button pops up the menu that displays the commands which are replicated by the keys. It is true that it is often faster to hit the keyboard key for a command than the menu, particularly in the word processors. > Windows have resize boxes, drag boxes, > and help boxes. Clicking them does the appropriate thing, with the > help box being particuarly useful - it explains, or tries, what is in > that window, either what program is painting it, what the text might > mean, or even trying to explain the last error message generated in > the window. This is a nice contribution. The system suffers mightily, > however, because of its rotten performance. From clicking on the drag > box to the appearance of the dragging outline was SEVERAL SECONDS, replete > with frantic paging activity!!!! See above comment on memory - it makes a definite improvement. > The mouse is curious, also. The pointer is GIGANTIC, and "hot" all the time. > This means you point at something and touch the button, just like in > other systems, but as you move around the screen without touching the > button, things select and deselect as you move by, possibly changing > things you didn't want changed - you still have to click in the > window to acknowledge, but I found it annoying. I am not sure I follow you on this one. The pointer on mine is not "hot" all the time - it works just like the Macs I have used - i.e. nothing happens until you click. The one exception is in "forms", where the pointer also highlights the current entry field. I really have not found that annoying. > The first button always selects and does, and > for fields where there are multiple choice values, the third button > rolls through the alternative choices. My memory of the second button > isn't very clear. All taken, the button paradigm is well done. As I said - the middle button brings up the menu of commands that are applicable - mostly duplicating the special keys on the keyboard. > FInally, a conclusion: I suspect the window system is not really a window > system but a keyboard menu frontend. I base this on the observation that > the windows always seem to align on a CRT character and only the outlines > seem to be graphics, and the distinct impression that menu interactions > were dropping commands into a shell somewhere. FInally, when you > tried just typing a command on they keyboard, it echoed in a special place > until carriage return, at which point it disappeared and was usually replaced > with a message to the effect "You can't run more than one program at once" > and I didn't see any obvious programs, other than possibly the menu > interpreter. The window system is a true window system - windows can be created anywhere. Also, a quick jaunt into business graphics will demonstrate that there is more there than just a menu frontend. As for the echoing - that has to do with what application is being run. It does allow a command line oriented shortcut to the menu system. But if you are in a Unix shell window, or the editor, it works exactly as you would expect. Just to wrap up, I think it is a pretty good box for the money. It seems to have a pretty good Unix underneath it, although I could ask for more documentation of some of the special interfaces (phone, windows, etc). It has some nice applications available for it, particularly graphics, which are fairly well integrated into the system. And so far, AT&T has been very responsive to comments and requests for enhancements. -- eric ...!seismo!umcp-cs!aplvax!osiris!eric