Xref: utzoo comp.sys.mac:13412 comp.windows.misc:159
Path: utzoo!mnetor!uunet!pyrdc!pyrnj!esquire!sbb
From: sbb@esquire.UUCP (Stephen B. Baumgarten)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac,comp.windows.misc
Subject: Re: A/UX window systems, Mac toolbox, etc
Message-ID: <346@esquire.UUCP>
Date: 2 Mar 88 05:05:41 GMT
References: <4129@hoptoad.uucp> <283@rhesus.primate.wisc.edu> <1710@ssc-vax.UUCP> <3996@vdsvax.steinmetz.ge.com>
Reply-To: sbb@esquire.UUCP (Stephen B. Baumgarten)
Organization: DP&W, New York, NY
Lines: 28

In article <3996@vdsvax.steinmetz.ge.com> barnett@steinmetz.ge.com (Bruce G. Barnett) writes:
>My naive impression of the Mac Windows was that is was a useful window
>system given a single process and a small screen. But I don't
>understand how Apple can provide the same interface in a multi
>application environment. How would pull-down menus work with multiple
>applications? They can't all grab the top of the screen.
>Context-sensitive pop-up menus make much more sense to me. But then
>you would need more than one button on the mouse.

I don't know.  Having used 1, 2, and 3 buttons, I find I like 1 button
most of all (even though on the Mac we have to remember to hold down
certain modifier keys at various times).  And as to menus for multiple
applications, I really dislike the MS-Windows/Presentation Manager
approach of putting the menus in the window themselves -- who wants to
see all those menus all the time?  Likewise, the popup approach, where
you don't see *any* menus until you press a mouse button.  I like the
Multifinder approach, where although there may be many different
applications on the screen (each in their own windows), only one
application has control of the menu bar.  That way I always know what
menus are available, but when I'm in Versaterm (like I am now), I
don't see the Finder's menus.

On the other hand, what do multi-button, popup menu people think about
the new tear-off menus in Hypercard (I like them)?
-- 
   Steve Baumgarten             | "New York... when civilization falls apart,
   Davis Polk & Wardwell        |  remember, we were way ahead of you."
   ...!cmcl2!esquire!sbb        |                           - David Letterman