Path: utzoo!mnetor!uunet!husc6!think!ames!ucsd!sdcsvax!beowulf!cooper
From: cooper@beowulf.ucsd.edu (Kenneth B Cooper)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac
Subject: mac/unix interface
Message-ID: <4725@sdcsvax.UCSD.EDU>
Date: 7 Mar 88 02:43:26 GMT
Sender: nobody@sdcsvax.UCSD.EDU
Reply-To: cooper@beowulf.UUCP (Kenneth B Cooper)
Organization: EE/CS Dept. U.C. San Diego
Lines: 42
Keywords: macintosh UNIX interface

I'm in the process of developing a program to get acquainted with the
macintosh toolbox. I want to write something serious which I could expect to
be used by many people in the public domain. After purchasing CIS Navigator,
and oohing and aahing for awhile, I was inspired to write a similar mac
interface to unix accounts. For those who haven't seen Navigator, it acts as
an offline front end for compuserve, letting you specify in a maclike
fashion what you want to do, and when you want the on-line session to take
place. While UNIX doesn't usually have the cost factor that makes this such
a desirable program, it does have a need for a simple, windowed environment
(Sun users, please keep it down).  Also, if anyone reads news/mail from home
over a 1200 baud modem, they'll appreciate being able to do their
editing/viewing offline at full speed.

The project I envision will be multi-faceted, with facilities for reading,
saving, and responding to mail, reading and posting news, downloading files
from ftp servers, and up/downloading files from the host itself. It will be
multifinder compatible, so sessions can take place while the
user is doing something else. I plan on making it flexible enough to 
speak with most any brand of unix. Since human interface is really my 
passion (and the reason I got so fired up about the mac), I will be making 
this its highest priority.

If anyone is interested in this idea, let me know via e-mail. I'm looking
for input as to useful features from the average unix type, so if you have
any special wishes that I haven't mentioned, let me know. And, of course,
if this has been done (I imagine not at the level of ambition I envision),
put me out my misery quickly.

Thanks in advance,

Ken Cooper

ARPA:			cooper%cs@ucsd.edu
UUCP:			...!ucsd!sdcsvax!cooper
COMPUSERVE:		71571,407
GENIE:			XTH52577


ARPA:			cooper%cs@ucsd.edu
UUCP:			...!ucsd!sdcsvax!cooper
COMPUSERVE:		71571,407
GENIE:			XTH52577