Path: utzoo!utgpu!water!watmath!clyde!rutgers!husc6!m2c!ulowell!masscomp!rtc
From: rtc@masscomp.UUCP (Richard Carling)
Newsgroups: comp.windows.x
Subject: Re: Object-oriented programming and the X toolkit
Keywords: Xtk, enhancements, relax, takes some time.
Message-ID: <2854@masscomp.UUCP>
Date: 2 Feb 88 16:51:17 GMT
References: <8801230105.AA28529@gilroy.dec.com> <2654@oxtrap.UUCP>
Reply-To: rtc@masscomp.UUCP (Richard Carling)
Organization: MASSCOMP - Westford, Ma
Lines: 46

In article <2654@oxtrap.UUCP> rich@oxtrap.UUCP (K. Richard Magill) writes:
>
>My first (constructive) thought when reading the Xtk doc was that a
>typical application progammer can't deal with Xtk.  He should never
>see it. 

You are RIGHT!!!!

> If Xtk were hidden under a 4gl/yacc-ish preprocessor, (output
>in C), it could really be the tool it was intended to be.
>

  Your still a few years behind the times.

Let me make a few comments:

 Many people are working on futher tools to make the Xtoolkit viable.
Forget yacc-ish preprocessors, try Interactive User Interface Development
Editors. Why write UI code when you can design your complete user interface
interactively, so that it is fun and allows quick prototyping.

  The Application Level Documentation will not be out until the
Feb (R2?) Tape release is out. This will have the type of documentation
most individuals would find useful. The Intrinsics documentation
is for those of us writing new widgets to compliment the functionality
provided by the initial widgets in the toolkit, and for us to
evaluate the intrinsics that DEC so kindly provided, to make sure
we don't feel they screwed up or left something important out.
That level needs to stablize, so that is were the focus has been.
Then we can concentrate on higher level layers, it all takes a little
time.

  Many companies will be providing public domain contributions
to the XToolkit to make it easier on everyone else. These will be
higher level layers as well as new widgets and even interactive
widget editors.

  I addressed many of these issues in my talk at the X Conference.
We are trying to work togeather with other companies to make the
XToolkit platform very useable and very user friendly. But it doesn't
happen overnight.

Richard Carling, 
Pickling and Embellishing Widgets, 
   some enhancements to stop the grips.
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