Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!ucbvax!decwrl!shelby!unix!hplabs!hp-pcd!hpcvlx!ben From: ben@hpcvlx.cv.hp.com (Benjamin Ellsworth) Newsgroups: comp.windows.x Subject: Re: Re: Message-ID: <100920195@hpcvlx.cv.hp.com> Date: 13 Mar 90 23:02:01 GMT References: <4840@crltrx.crl.dec.com> Organization: Hewlett-Packard Co., Corvallis, OR, USA Lines: 38 > After all, if X, just because it is the least course of resistance, > becomes the kitchen sink server, X will not survive the test of time. I concur, however, does or should any software "survive the test of time" in the sense that Shakespeare has survived the test of time? The technology is moving at a rapid pace (unlike human nature). Will the "X" of the future be X because it still does all of the same old stuff in the same old way, or will it be called "X" simply because we choose to call it thus? The saw of the modern carpenter (sub-genus "framer" ;-) bears very little resemblance to those used 200 years ago, but we still call it a saw. Has the saw survived the test of time? I think that philosophical purity and classical elegance are valuable assets to any endeavor, but we shouldn't let that cause us to lose sight of making systems which are useful right now. > The real time aspects of audio also make me think it would be painful > to do audio as an X extension. I think that while we're still experimenting with what want in an aural interface, we should not be grafting those experiments into a relatively stable standard. Hence I strongly support their exclusion from the X server. However, once there is some standard expectations for computers and aural interfaces, I would expect combining both visual and aural aspects of interaction into one server to be an inevitable occurance. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Benjamin Ellsworth | ben@cv.hp.com | INTERNET Hewlett-Packard Company | {backbone}!hplabs!hp-pcd!ben | UUCP 1000 N.E. Circle | (USA) (503) 750-4980 | FAX Corvallis, OR 97330 | (USA) (503) 757-2000 | VOICE ----------------------------------------------------------------------- All relevant disclaimers apply. -----------------------------------------------------------------------