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Path: utzoo!mnetor!uunet!husc6!necntc!necis!mrst!apollo!dawson
From: dawson@apollo.uucp (Keith Dawson)
Newsgroups: comp.lang.c++,comp.windows.news,comp.windows.x
Subject: Re: graphical object libraries for C++?
Message-ID: <39c14fe5.c32@apollo.uucp>
Date: 18 Jan 88 22:16:00 GMT
References: <1972@pdn.UUCP>
Reply-To: dawson@apollo.UUCP (Keith Dawson)
Organization: Apollo Computer, Chelmsford, MA
Lines: 39
Keywords: ICpak 201, OOPS, Open Dialogue, UIMS, X11, user interface
Summary: Open Dialogue UIMS: C++ on X11, portable and extensible

In a recent article, George Leache asks:

>        I'm sure everyone has heard of PPI's ICpak 201 graphical interface
> support library for Objective C.  I was wondering if anyone is aware of
> any such effort to produce a similar object library, similar to Keith 
> Gorlen's OOPS class library, for C++ access to windowing facilities for
> a system such as X or NeWS (or the forthcoming NeWS/X merged product from
> Sun)?

Apollo's new Open Dialogue product seems to match your description.
 
  - a second-generation User Interface Management System
  - written in C++
  - implements an object workspace (OWS) at runtime
  - extensible: OWS is open to the programmer to add interaction objects
    (or any other kind of internal objects)
  - language bindings for C, C++, Pascal, Fortran
  - layered on X11 (not on Xtk)
  - multiple interface-description mechanisms supported: declarative Ascii
    description file, and interactive interface-definition tools provided 
    with release 1
  - portable
 
Apollo will sell developers' kits for Open Dialogue to run on Apollo, Sun,
DEC, and IBM PC-RT platforms. We are also aggressively pursuing source
licensees to port the software to other platforms; an agreement is in place
for a port to the 80386/SysV environment.

Open Dialogue is well along in beta test and will ship (on Apollo platforms)
early in April. Support for the other platforms will follow within a few
months.

I am sending preliminary product information via U.S. mail.

-- Keith Dawson                                 decvax!apollo!dawson
   Section Manager, User Environments           617-256-0176 x 8337
   Apollo Computer
   330 Billerica Rd. (chm-02-rd)
   Chelmsford, MA 01824