bas+@andrew.cmu.edu (Bruce Sherwood) (03/30/89)
I am responding to a request for information about Unix-based authoring systems. Here in the Center for Design of Educational Computing (CDEC) at Carnegie Mellon University, we have created the cT programming environment (formerly called CMU Tutor) which runs on Unix workstations, regular Macs, and MS-DOS PCs. In fact, programs written in cT run on all these environments WITHOUT CHANGE, despite the use of sophisticated modern user interface elements such as menus, graphics, multi-font text, etc. Displays adjust themselves to fit the screen or window size available. While cT is a general-purpose programming environment, it contains many features of great utility in writing educational software, as a descendant of the Tutor and MicroTutor languages developed in the PLATO project at the University of Illinois. Already some cT programs have won national awards in the EDUCOM/NCRIPTAL educational software competition. The cT language has also been used for research computing tasks. For several years cT has been in use at CMU and other universities, running on the old Andrew "wm" window manager on IBM RTs, Suns, and VaxStations. That window manager is no longer available, so we are in the process of making cT run on X11. This work is nearly complete, and we hope within a couple months to make it generally available for these machines. CMU will only sell site licenses, for a particular machine, and the price will be $4000 commercial, $2500 educational (upgrades will be $1500 commercial and $1000 educational). CMU began distributing the Mac version 1.0 last summer, but starting next month version 1.1 for both the Mac and the PC will be available from Falcon Software, P.O. Box 200, Wentworth NH 03282 (phone 603-764-5788). The CMU price for the Mac version was $92.50, but Falcon hasn't yet set a price. Here is some more info about cT: The cT Programming Language and Environment General Description The cT programming language (formerly known as CMU Tutor) makes it feasible even for non-expert programmers to produce interactive programs which exploit modern computer capabilities such as graphics, multi-font text, and mouse inputs. The cT language offers special enhancements for educational software; it is also used for research computing tasks. (cT is a trademark of Carnegie Mellon University.) Programs written in the cT language can be compiled and run WITHOUT CHANGE on a wide range of machines, which is nearly without precedent for programs with modern user interfaces. Major features of the cT language include interactive graphics in windowed environments instant portability across diverse computers automatic rescaling of text and graphics to fit the window multi-font text menus mouse and keyset inputs analysis of words and sentences analysis of numbers and algebraic expressions rich sequencing options standard calculational capabilities numeric and text files Major features of the cT programming environment include integrated editing and execution environment incremental compilation for fast revision and execution on-line reference manual with executable examples graphics editor which generates cT graphics statements accurate and informative error diagnostics The package includes the programming environment, introductory text, reference manual, on-line reference manual, sample programs, and a freely distributable run-time package. The programming environment is licensed for single users but is not copy-protected. The run-time package may be freely copied, so that authors of cT programs can distribute this package with binaries of their programs, without having to pay additional license fees. System requirements for Mac: Macintosh Plus, Macintosh SE, or Macintosh II with 1 Mbyte of memory. Hard disk recommended, or two 800 K floppy disk drives. System requirements for the initial PC offering: 640K MS-DOS, EGA or VGA, mouse. Numerical coprocessor recommended. Hard disk recommended, or 1.2MB floppy drive.