Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!lll-winken!ames!ncar!boulder!sunybcs!rutgers!bellcore!faline!thumper!ulysses!att!cord!nsw
From: nsw@cord.UUCP (Neil Weinstock)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga
Subject: Windowing Terminal Software for System V users
Message-ID: <723@cord.UUCP>
Date: 1 Mar 89 04:13:44 GMT
Distribution: na
Organization: The Flying Squid Patrol
Lines: 34

[ If you can read this, there's something wrong with your line eater ]

Recently there's been bundles of talk about DNet, Unix Windows, etc.  Several
people have asked if either program could be made to work with System V.  I
too would like something like that.  The answer has generally been "System V
doesn't have sockets, so it would be difficult."

It seems, though, that people are missing the fact that System V has a 
multiplexed terminal protocol, called XT, built in, and a program "layers" 
that supports it.  Why has no one ever attempted to do anything with XT?
I haven't because it is far removed from any area in which I might fancy 
myself to have expertise.  Offhand I can think of two approaches that might be 
fruitful:

1)  Do something like DNet, with a host program that uses XT, and an Amiga
front end that implements XT.

2)  Write a 630 emulator for the Amiga, and let layers be the host end of the
program.  I can't see any reason why this wouldn't be possible, except perhaps
that it might be difficult to obtain some of the necessary info from AT&T.
(For those who don't know, the 630 is a bitmapped windowing terminal that
runs with layers.  I'm quite fond of mine, and I'd love to see the same
functionality on my Amiga.)

Option #2 is a bit more limited, since would just be a windowing terminal
program, while #1 could be almost anything.

Can anyone identify any major flaws in this idea, or is it simply that no one 
has gotten around to doing any of it?

 /.- -- .. --. .- .-. ..- .-.. . ... .- -- .. --. .- .-. ..- .-.. . ...\
/ Neil Weinstock | att!cord!nsw     | "One man's garbage is another     \
\ AT&T Bell Labs | nsw@cord.att.com | man's prune danish." - Harv Laser /
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