Xref: utzoo comp.lang.c:15259 comp.unix.wizards:13897
Path: utzoo!utgpu!attcan!uunet!lll-winken!lll-lcc!ames!ncar!gatech!ulysses!cjc
From: cjc@ulysses.homer.nj.att.com (Chris Calabrese[mav])
Newsgroups: comp.lang.c,comp.unix.wizards
Subject: Re: printf, data presentation
Summary: cost of bitmap workstations vs the cost of libraries
Message-ID: <11067@ulysses.homer.nj.att.com>
Date: 6 Jan 89 13:27:00 GMT
References: <443@marob.MASA.COM>
Organization: AT&T Bell Laboratories, Murray Hill
Lines: 45

In article <443@marob.MASA.COM>, daveh@marob.MASA.COM (Dave Hammond) writes:
> In article <9281@smoke.BRL.MIL> Doug Gwyn writes (re curses-based interfaces):
> 
> >  It's an idea whose time has gone.
> 
> Are you saying that a (relatively) high-priced, ethernet-connected
> graphical display should be installed for every office manager, production
> assistant or data-entry operatory who performs simple data management
> tasks?  Or perhaps that applications which don't require bitmap displays
> and mice would not benefit from a standardized set of menu, window and form
> management tools?

First off, these machines are now available for under $2000.
Examples are Acer's Xerbra, a terminal with an ethernet connector and
an X server in rom, and Atari ST's running NeWS with some help from
a BSD box.

A few years ago, before the school I was going to ever
dreamed of multi window terminals and workstations, everyone
has at least two terminals on their desk (yes, I can switch
between two keyboards - one in my lap and one on the desk -
just as fast as between windows).  Given that decent terminals
cost at least $500, this isn't so much of a difference for the
added flexibility that windows give you.

> I realize this is not a popular concept, but there is a large segment of
> the Unix population which is *not* involved with cutting-edge design and
> engineering tasks, but merely doing their mundane, daily work on a Unix
> machine.

And there are lots of old terminals sitting around just waiting
to be used (around here there are even a few bitmap machined collecting
dust), but the price of bitmapped workstations keep falling fast enough
to make it unreasonable to assume the necessity of additional
support for dumb terminals in standard libraries.

I'm not saying there's no need for such abilities, Bell Labs has
devoted quite a bit of effort in this area in the past, but
there are packages available to do these things already.
I seem to remember a curses based widget library posted to
the net a couple of months ago.
-- 
	Christopher J. Calabrese
	AT&T Bell Laboratories
	att!ulysses!cjc		cjc@ulysses.att.com