Path: utzoo!utgpu!water!watmath!clyde!cbosgd!ihnp4!homxb!whuts!mtune!rutgers!cmcl2!nrl-cmf!ames!sgi!msc
From: msc@ramoth.SGI.COM (Mark Callow)
Newsgroups: comp.windows.news
Subject: Re: Display POSTSCRIPT to be available on DECwindows
Summary: Don't need DPS in NeWS
Message-ID: <9955@sgi.SGI.COM>
Date: 26 Jan 88 19:08:01 GMT
References: <8801210012.AA24025@ondine.LOCAL> <20499@teknowledge-vaxc.ARPA> <10486@jade.BBN.COM>
Sender: daemon@sgi.SGI.COM
Organization: Silicon Graphics Inc, Mountain View, CA
Lines: 36

In article <10486@jade.BBN.COM>, mlandau@bbn.com (Matt Landau) writes:
> In comp.windows.news, mkhaw@teknowledge-vaxc.ARPA (Mike Khaw) writes:
> >Does this mean that if DECWindows and/or Display Postscript catch on
> >Sun will be forced to announce a new "merged NeWS, X, Display Postscript"
> >to conform to de facto standards?
> 
> Well, since Display PostScript isn't a window server, that's not really
> what they'd have to do.  And given that Display PostScript is OUTPUT ONLY, 
> I bet it wouldn't be that hard to replace the imaging code in NeWS with 
> DPS without seriously changing the lightweight process stuff or the 
> PostScript-based input and event-handling mechanisms.

The imaging code in NeWS release 1.1 is full PostScript much as Adobe
would like you to believe otherwise.  Only three primitives are missing:
currentscreen, setscreen, and settransfer all of which have to do with
half-toning which isn't terribly interesting on a screen (especially 
a color screen).  These primitives will almost certainly be in the
X11/NeWS merge.

But what about extensions?  The full range of extensions Abobe is planning
for Display PostScript isn't clear yet.  They have announced a compressed
binary format which I'm sure Sun will adopt in place of the one already
in NeWS 1.1.  They've also announced a function call library interface
to PostScript which should work just as well on NeWS as on Display PostScript.
They've also indicated the areas of some other extensions.  The extensions
will be very small in number and I'm sure Sun will go for compatibility
where it makes sense.

In summary, Display PostScript does not need to be "merged" with X11/NeWS.
Only a few minor changes will be needed to NeWS to make it compatible with
Display PostScript.
--
From the TARDIS of Mark Callow
msc@sgi.sgi.com, ...{ames,decwrl,sun}!sgi!msc
"There is much virtue in a window.  It is to a human being as a frame is to
a painting, as a proscenium to a play.  It strongly defines its content."