[comp.windows.x] SUMMARY: Spreadsheets for X on Suns.

rapatel@khnphwzhn.njin.net ( Rakesh Patel) (09/27/90)

Below are most of the messages I recieved on the subject.
I received a few messages from people indicating that WingZ
supports X. That is true for some of the ports, but currently,
the Sun version is SunView only with an OpenLook interface.
The OpenLook/Motif versions are not yet available for the Sun.
If you can use SunView based software, and are at an educational
institution, you may want to seriously consider checking into the
pricing for WingZ - it is quite interesting. As far as I know, WingZ
does not support a curses based interface, so that may be a problem
for some people. On the other hand, I think a program designed from
the ground up to support a windowing interface will be much nicer to
use.

Rakesh Patel.

From willis@ecovsb.ncsu.edu (Bill Willis) Tue Sep 11 10:56:07 1990
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From: willis@ecovsb.ncsu.edu (Bill Willis)
Newsgroups: comp.windows.x
Subject: Re: Spreadsheet for Sun w/ X support.
Message-ID: <1990Sep11.145607.23516@ncsuvx.ncsu.edu>
Date: 11 Sep 90 14:56:07 GMT
References: <Sep.7.14.26.01.1990.28697@khnphwzhn.njin.net> <67778@lll-winken.LLNL.GOV> <1990Sep11.114902.211@cs.utk.edu>
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Applied Information Systems will begin shipping a product named Xess in
mid-October. It is a full functioned X11/Motif based spreadsheet which
offers special capabilites in the area of scientific computation,
statistics, and has the ability to program client process which connect
with the sheet.

Notably it is a true X11 program and makes full use of X11 cpabilities
including cut-paste between other sheets and other X applications.

Those interested should contact Applied Information Systems in Chapel
Hill, North Carolina. Their number is 1 800 334 5510


BTW, I must admit to an interest in the program. I was one of the developers...

Bill Willis, Director                 willis@ecovsa.ncsu.edu
Engineering Computer Operations       willis%ecovsa@ncsuvx.ncsu.edu
Box 7901, School of Engineering
North Carolina State University
(919) 737-2458

               We have met the enemy, and they are us --- Pogo

From chris@SALT.ACC.COM (Chris VandenBerg) Tue Sep 11 11:51:24 1990
Path: njin!uupsi!rpi!bu.edu!snorkelwacker!bloom-beacon!SALT.ACC.COM!chris
From: chris@SALT.ACC.COM (Chris VandenBerg)
Newsgroups: comp.windows.x
Subject: Re: Spreadsheet for Sun w/ X support.
Message-ID: <9009111551.AA05901@salt.acc.com>
Date: 11 Sep 90 15:51:24 GMT
Sender: daemon@athena.mit.edu (Mr Background)
Organization: The Internet
Lines: 23

>In article <67778@lll-winken.LLNL.GOV>, jac@sundance.llnl.gov (James Crotinger) writes:
>>
>>  I would be very interested in a summary of your responses. I
>>was quite excited after reading a review of WingZ the other day,
>>until I read it was a SunView product. What I don't understand
>>is why they went to the trouble to write a SunView product with
>>the OPEN LOOK UI (and it must have been trouble, since Sun doesn't
>>supply tools to do this, as far as I know). Sheesh!

>I called Informix last winter and they said they were working on a
>Motif version of WingZ and expected it to be shipping Q4 of this year.
>This is confirmed somewhat by the inclusion of WingZ in NCD's eXport
>Catalog which lists WingZ for the DECstation 2100/3100 at $599.

	I have used the WINGZ package to create and display reports
using data that we collect through our network management station and
I think it is fantastic! No, Informix, doesn't pay me to say such things
but when someone like me can sit down and learn a product in a day and
create a custom report with interactive buttons to graph data in a 
dozen ways I'M IMPRESSED. I would suggest you give it a "testflight"...
		Chris VandenBerg
		ACC(chris@salt.acc.com)
		805-963-9431

From ncr-mpd!bach!chuckp@ncrlnk.dayton.ncr.com Sun Sep  9 01:40:53 1990
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To: rapatel@khnphwzhn.njin.net
In-Reply-To: rapatel@khnphwzhn.njin.net's message of 7 Sep 90 18:26:03 GMT
Subject: Spreadsheet for Sun w/ X support.

Rakesh> I would like information on spreadsheets for Suns that support X. 

I'd like to point out a good (but rough around the edges) PD spreadsheet
called "sc" recently posted to comp.sources.unix.  It's missing a lot of
the usual bells & whistles but has some unusual features not found in
commercial spreadsheets.  (e.g.  LaTeX table and tbl output) It "supports"
X in that you can use it from a standard xterm window (or nearly anything
with a termcap/terminfo description).

It comes as source, so you can modify it as needed.  In addition, the data
format of the spreadsheet is readable ASCII, so interfacing your own
programs to "sc" should be straightforward.

	Hope this helps,

Chuck Phillips  MS440
NCR Microelectronics 			Chuck.Phillips%FtCollins.NCR.com
2001 Danfield Ct.
Ft. Collins, CO.  80525   		uunet!ncrlnk!ncr-mpd!bach!chuckp

From swb@theory.tn.cornell.edu Sun Sep  9 07:34:28 1990
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From: swb@theory.tn.cornell.edu (Scott Brim)
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To: rapatel@khnphwzhn.njin.net
Subject: Re: Spreadsheet for Sun w/ X support.
Newsgroups: comp.windows.x,alt.sys.sun,comp.unix.questions
In-Reply-To: <Sep.7.14.26.01.1990.28697@khnphwzhn.njin.net>
Organization: Cornell Theory Center
Cc: 

There are two things you should check out.  The first is SC, which runs
under anything with termcap (and more, come to think of it).  It isn't
specifically X-based, you just open an xterm window and run it there.
But it's free, and surprisingly good.  The only feature it doesn't have
which I would like is chaining of spreadsheet files -- but you have the
source, and the authors solicit enhancements.  It was posted to
comp.sources.unix recently.  I use this regularly; I've done everything
from proposals to network availability calculations in it.

The other is Slate from BBN.  Academic price is now $100.  Support for
one person is $1000 if you like.  This is an integrated document
preparation environment which includes spreadsheets.  They have filters
for importing Lotus, etc.
							Scott

From tarsa@decvax.dec.com Mon Sep 10 11:36:44 1990
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From: tarsa@decvax.dec.com (Greg Tarsa)
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To: rapatel@khnphwzhn.njin.net ( Rakesh Patel)
Subject: Re: Spreadsheet for Sun w/ X support.

We use 20/20 here and have found it adequate for our needs.  We do not
currently run the X version, but will be getting it shortly.  The main
reason we purchased it was the fact that it has run on a lot of different
platforms (VAXes, SUN, apollo, etc) for a long time.

My one complaint is that their line editing commands don't resemble anything
we ever used anywhere ever before, which made editing mistakes a bit
painful at first, but we've gotten used to that.

It has been a fairly robust product, and the documentation is quite good.
We have never had to use hotline support.

For what it's worth,

Greg
 
Tarsa Software Consulting
--------------------------------
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		Bedford, NH 03102	tarsa@elijah.mv.com
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From mark@drd.com Mon Sep 10 12:10:56 1990
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From: mark@drd.com (Mark Lawrence)
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To: rapatel@khnphwzhn.njin.net
Subject: Re: Spreadsheet for Sun w/ X support.
Newsgroups: comp.windows.x,alt.sys.sun,comp.unix.questions
In-Reply-To: <Sep.7.14.26.01.1990.28697@khnphwzhn.njin.net>
Organization: DRD Corporation

In article <Sep.7.14.26.01.1990.28697@khnphwzhn.njin.net> you write:
} 
} I would like information on spreadsheets for Suns that support X. 

eXclaim from Quality Software Products, 5711 West Slauson Ave, Ste 240,
Culver City (ick), CA 90230, (213)410-0303/FAX (213)410-0124  (outside
CA) 1-800-628-3999

uunet!qsp!sales

Out in beta.
-- 
mark@DRD.Com uunet!apctrc!drd!mark

From sysnmc@magic706.chron.com Mon Sep 10 12:57:44 1990
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From: sysnmc@magic706.chron.com (Matt Cohen)
Message-Id: <9009101651.AA00315@magic706.chron.com>
To: rapatel@pilot.njin.net
Subject: Re:  Spreadsheet for Sun w/ X support.

Rakesh,
	I have tried out eXclaim from QSP and found it to be
a nice package. It's Motif based (which I don't like, but others
might) and looks/feels a lot like Microsoft Excel for the Macintosh.
It seemed a bit sluggish when doing windowing things (I blamed this
on the inefficient Motif 1.0 widgets), but the spreadsheet itself 
was quite perky.
	Let me know what you discover, since we're also looking for
a good X-based speadsheet. Right now, we're using 1-2-3 in an xterm.
	Good luck!

			-- Matt

Matt Cohen                              INET: sysnmc@chron.com
Department of Technology Resources      UUCP: ...!uunet!chron!sysnmc
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