jimg@hpiacla.HP.COM (Jim Garrison) (12/12/87)
X-Windows on the Amiga? At the December Faug meeting, I heard some rumors of X-Windows support showing up in V1.4. There was also some talk about some network support like Decnet. This sounds really exciting to me. I think if the Amiga could be used as a good low cost X-Window server, there could be some tremendous opportunities. I'm also wondering if it would be possible to run X-Windows over the serial port and still have reasonable performance. I know that there are some X-Windows products for some OTHER PC's but I think the Amiga with it's multitasking OS and rich windowing environment could blow them out of the water! I'm really interested to know more about just what level of X-Windows support is planned. Will it be X11? Are there plans for network support other than Decnet? Anyone at CAT care to comment on this? I love the Amiga! Jim G "If I had a dime for every Guru ...."
cmcmanis%pepper@Sun.COM (Chuck McManis) (12/13/87)
In article <4830001@hpiacla.HP.COM> jimg@hpiacla.HP.COM (Jim Garrison) writes: > > X-Windows on the Amiga? > >At the December Faug meeting, I heard some rumors of X-Windows support >showing up in V1.4. There was also some talk about some network support >like Decnet. This sounds really exciting to me. As they say in Modula-2 GetReal(); DECnet? TCP/IP over ethernet, great but some propietary network from a 2 bit computer company? :-) :-) :-) A window server would be nice, although don't expect to run any Intuition programs on it. With the Ameristar e-net board and NeWS (or X or both) the Amiga would make a damn nice terminal to your basic network. >I know that there are some X-Windows products for some OTHER PC's but I >think the Amiga with it's multitasking OS and rich windowing environment >could blow them out of the water! Just out of curiousity, how can you say in one breath, look how neat it would be to put the same window system everyone else has onto the Amiga. And then say it's "rich windowing environment" (which you have blown away) would blow them out of the water.? >I love the Amiga! So do I, but I'll stick to worrying about 1.21 before I get into 1.4 :-) :-) --Chuck McManis uucp: {anywhere}!sun!cmcmanis BIX: cmcmanis ARPAnet: cmcmanis@sun.com These opinions are my own and no one elses, but you knew that didn't you.
langz@athena.mit.edu (Lang Zerner) (12/14/87)
In article <36347@sun.uucp> cmcmanis@sun.UUCP (Chuck McManis) writes: >A[n X] window server would be nice, although don't expect to run any Intuition >programs on it. How about running the X server and Workbench concurrently. There's no reason that you could not run Workbench as a process that is not a client of the X server. Don't forget, X does not require that every process running on the machine be an X client. Just have a separate screen for Amiga X, then open a backdrop window to serve as the root window for the X server. On another note, it would be very easy to write a window manager that would even make X look a lot like workbench (standard window gadgets where they normally are, etc), so there's no reason Amiga X users would have to learn a radically different user interface. There's always the option of running uwm or any of the other existing wms, but X is deliberately no "religious" about user interface for the express purpose of supporting diverse systems. Be seeing you... --Lang Zerner langz@athena.mit.edu ihnp4!mit-eddie!athena.mit.edu!langz "No one is exempt from talking nonsense; the only misfortune is to do it solemnly" --Michel de Montaigne
dillon@CORY.BERKELEY.EDU (Matt Dillon) (12/14/87)
:>I know that there are some X-Windows products for some OTHER PC's but I :>think the Amiga with it's multitasking OS and rich windowing environment :>could blow them out of the water! : :Just out of curiousity, how can you say in one breath, look how neat it :would be to put the same window system everyone else has onto the Amiga. :And then say it's "rich windowing environment" (which you have blown away) :would blow them out of the water.? It seems reasonable to me. It is quite easy to bypass Intuition... simply open up your own screen and intercept the input stream. The merits of multitasking are obvious. -Matt
jimg@hpiacla.HP.COM (Jim Garrison) (12/17/87)
>Just out of curiousity, how can you say in one breath, look how neat it >would be to put the same window system everyone else has onto the Amiga. >And then say it's "rich windowing environment" (which you have blown away) >would blow them out of the water.? I just think that the windowing/multitasking capabilities that the Amiga CURRENTLY has would make it easier to port X-Windows to than the other machines. You should be able to run an X server just like any other task under Intuition. My point is that I think there will be a lot of industrial/other applications that will use X-Windows for user interfaces and right now, you are looking at using expensive Un$x workstations as X servers. If you could replace those workstations with Amigas think of the cost savings. Now this could be a good opportunity for the Amiga to penetrate new business markets. I'm not saying that X-Windows is going to help anyone who has an Amiga at home! I can't see companies buying lots of $20K workstations (more if industrial ruggidized) to put on factory floors, but if they could put an Amiga there for $2-3K, it could be feasible. Jim G. ------------ "These are MY opinions, and have nothing to do with my employer."