horz@gmdzi.UUCP (Alexander Horz) (01/31/89)
Hello,
I've got a lot of references to eXodus (cf. enclosure 2 - long!) and a
single one to MacX (cf. enclosure 1).
Thanks for all Responses!
-- Alexander Horz (horz@gmdzi.uucp)
Forschungsgruppe Expertensysteme
Gesellschaft fuer Mathematik und Datenverarbeitung
Schloss Birlinghoven, Postfach 1240
D - 5205 Sankt Augustin 1 (Federal Republic of Germany)
Tel: ++49 2241 / 14-2676
************************** enclosure 1 ***********************************
From: ray@mfgfoc.uucp (Ray Lillard):
====================================
>>
>> Apple should be coming out with an X server for the Mac OS in the very near
>> future. The product has already been acknowledged in the AppleGram. It will
>> work on top of their existing TCP/IP product, MacTCP. The X Windows server
>> will be called MacX, and if you want to find out about it, you might try the
>> number for the folks in charge of MacTCP which is (408) 973-4667.
>>
>> I asked my local Apple Tech-Rep about MacX and he wasn't aware of it - if
>> the folks at that number haven't heard of it, point out that Apple's already
>> demoed the program at Interop 88 - so somebody must know about it.
>>
************************** enclosure 2 ***********************************
From: "Mark Steven Sherman" <mss+%andrew.cmu.edu@uunet>:
========================================================
I received this in the mail today. Since I wanted an excuse to run something
through our new OCR software, it is now on-line and I'm can send it out.
-Mark
Cover letter:
----------------------------------------------------------------------
WHITE PINE SOFTWARE
Communications Specialists for Apple & DEC Computers
January 11,1989
Dear X Windows User:
White Pine Software's X Window System display server is nearly ready for beta
testing, and we have begun planning for its release. It will be exhibited at
MacWorld/San Francisco (January 20-22) in booth #748 at the Moscone Center, and
we hope you can make it there to see us. The attached page is a preliminary data
sheet for the product. In case you haven't heard from us in a while, here's some
updated information:
eXodusTM is the X server product name, the result of Project Mercury
Shipping of Version 1 begins in the first quarter of 1989 (soon!)
The retail price for eXodus is $499.
eXodus is MultiFinder compatible: foreground and background! Version 1 will
display in monochrome only, but White Pine will fully support color in a later
release.
eXodus supports DECWindows on both VMS and ULTRIX systems.
The initial release of eXodus will support TCP/IP, DECnet, and AppleTalk. In
fact, eXodus allows multiple connections to any combination of these! To connect
via TCP/IP, you will need to have Kinetics' TCPort driver installed on your
Macintosh. Similarly, for DECnet you will need Alisa TSSnet. Whatever hardivare
these products support, so does eXodus.
Thanks for your continued interest in eXodus, and your patience in waiting for
its release. You will be notified as soon as eXodus is available.
Sincerely,
Scott Darling
Vice President, Marketing
eXodus is a trademark of White Pine Software, Inc. TCPort is a trademark of
Kinetics, Inc. TSSnet is a trademark of Thursby Sofware Systems. Macintosh is a
trademark licensed to Apple Computer, Inc. X Window System is a trademark of
Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
94 Route 101A, PO. Box 1108, Amherst N.H. 03031 (603)886-9050
----------------------------------------------------------------------
enclosure
----------------------------------------------------------------------
eXodus TM Links Macintosh users to X Client applications running on a wide
variety of host computers
Product Description
eXodus turns your Macintosh into an X Window System workstation. Acting as a
display server, eXodus interacts with application programs running on a host
computer. eXodus supports a variety of network connections.
eXodus conforms to Version 11 of the X Window System, or X11, a widely accepted
windowing and graphics standard developed at M.I.T. The standard is based on a
client/server model where the client is an application and the server is a
workstation, personal computer, or graphics terminal. The server passes
information between the user and the client application using a display,
keyboard, and mouse as human interface devices, and a network as its
communication medium. eXodus is the first X Window System server available for
the native Macintosh Operating System.
X on the Macintosh - Why?
Until recently, microcomputers such as the Macintosh connected to and accessed
programs on other computers via "Terminal emulation" and host programs were
written to assume a specific terminal. Because X is a widely accepted windowing
standard that is both machine and network independent much of the mainframe
software currently under development will use the X Window System. This means
that X clients (applications) on any computer can communicate over a network to
X workstations (servers) on another computer. Users that want to access X
clients from a Macintosh need eXodus.
While the need for a standard graphical windowing system in a heterogeneous
environment is well known, many system implementors have found that the cost of
doing so is prohibitively expensive. Using personal computers as X workstations
is the most economical solution to this problem. The Macintosh running eXodus is
an extremely cost-effective way to provide users with the ability to access X
Window applications.
An advantage of eXodus over other server implementations is the Macintosh
operating system. eXodus doesn't remove the user from this friendly environment,
it adds the capabilities of an X server to it. The many services available on
the "desktop", and the ability to run other applications simultaneously, combine
to give the user a more powerful workstation than is otherwise available.
Network Configuration
Servers communicate with X Clients overcomputer networks. eXodus supports all
popular networking software available for Macintosh computers. In addition to
AppleTalk, Macintosh computers can be configured to talk over TCP/iP and DECnet.
eXodus supports Kinetics' TCPort TM and Alisa's TSSnet TM. Once networking
software is installed on your Macintosh, eXodus is ready to run.
In the future eXodus will support CommUnity TM from TCI, and MacTCP TM from
Apple. eXodus' flexible architecture can be extended to support additional
network software.
DECwindows
As part of its strategy, White Pine Software is committed to remaining the
leader in Macintosh to DEC connectivity. A DECwindows server is an X server that
supports the DECwindows extensions. eXodus was developed in cooperation with
DEC, and will evolve ro meet the DECwindows standards.
System Requirements
eXodus runs on any Macintosh with at least 1 MB of memory, which includes all
models currently marketed. All current Macintosh OS system software distributed
by Apple is supported, and White Pine will update the program when necessary to
provide future compatibility. eXodus runs under Finder or MultiFinder - it even
stays active in the background under MultiFinder!
An X server uses a bitmapped display as its basic output device. eXodus uses a
standard Macintosh window to view the X virtual display, so all Macintosh
monitors are supported. The user can set the dimensions of the virtual display
as desired and use the X server's window in the same manner as other Macintosh
windows: using the grow and zoom boxes, as well as the scroll bars. The basic
input devices of an X server are a mouse (or other pointing device) and a
keyboard. In most cases, the standard Macintosh versions of these devices will
be perfectly suitable.
The only system requirements that are not standard Macintosh equipment deal with
networking. Your Macintosh must be capable of communicating over some common
network protocol and physical medium. The issue of which to choose is more of an
administrative one at your particular site, and usually many factors figure into
the final decision. All currently sold Macintoshes can be put directly onto
LocalTalk and/or Ethernet cabling systems.
White Pine Software: The Leader In Macintosh Connectivity
White Pine Software was founded in 1984 by experts in system and application
software dealing with communications and graphics on DEC and Apple computers,
working closely with both companies. All of its products are shipped with
comprehensive user manuals and include free technical support. Also, White Pine
Software offers a 30-day money back guarantee on all its products.
eXodus will be released in the first quarter 1989, and will be priced at $499
White Pine Software, Inc.
94 Route 101A
P.O. Box 1108
Amherst,NH 03031
(603)886-9050