Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!uunet!mcsun!unido!gmdzi!berlage
From: berlage@gmdzi.UUCP (Thomas Berlage)
Newsgroups: comp.windows.x
Subject: Re: Motif from LISP
Summary: Interface between Motif and Lisp available soon.
Message-ID: <2044@gmdzi.UUCP>
Date: 21 Feb 90 10:00:34 GMT
References: <9002201746.AA02540@rice-chex>
Organization: GMD, Sankt Augustin, F. R. Germany
Lines: 34



We have developed an interface solution between Motif and Common Lisp. Our
first attempt was to use the foreign function interface (on Lucid, but
Franz Allegro would have been roughly the same). This is possible, but a
lot of tedious work to map all calls and data structures. The reason we
abandoned this solution is that we didn't get it to work with
multiprocessing inside the Lisp, i.e. only one Lisp-process may use
foreign function calls to the interface.

Our solution uses a separate Motif process, which has the additional
advantage of better interactive performance (and easier porting). It is
even possible to use a Lisp machine with an X terminal as its display,
going through the Motif process on a remote UNIX server. Our interface
currently runs on Franz Allegro, Lucid, and Symbolics. The Motif part
should run on every workstation where Motif is installed (we use Suns).

The interface is already used in different research projects here at
GMD, as well as in the BABYLON expert system product development.

Before you start sending cash :-) : We are currently investigating
several ways how to distribute this code, because we are unable to
provide direct support. If you are interested in this solution,
send email to the following address:

          baecker@gmdzi.uucp (Andreas Baecker)

We will then notify you immediately when the distribution path is
determined. The amount of responses will help us in the decision, too.

---
Thomas Berlage (berlage@gmdzi.uucp), GMD
(German National Research Center for Computer Science)
P.O. Box 1240, D-5205 St.Augustin