xwidgets@stiatl.UUCP (Xwidgets library account) (01/17/89)
PUBLIC WIDGET LIBRARY
=====================
The Public Domain Widget Library is now online.
Basic Description
-----------------
The Public Domain Widget Library (PDWL) is a collection of widgets
and related code and documentation for X11, all in the public domain.
Related code means, primarily, toolkits, and extensions thereto.
Various sites will be archiving components of the library as well,
and these sites will be noted as such information is made available
to me.
Additionally, lists of commercial widgets, documentation, and interfaces
may be found herein. Included in these lists will be addresses, phone
numbers, contact people, etc. No pricing, reviews, or similar material
will be available through this library.
Widgets, toolkits, documentation, and product information are welcome.
Code and documentation must meet guidelines set forth below. Code and/
or doc which does not meet the guidelines is subject to modification,
ridicule, persectution, or just plain being ignored.
How to Access the PDWL
----------------------
First, some ground rules. At least initially, for disk space reasons,
the library will not be directly accessable to the net from this site.
Widgets will be stored on a system that is connected via TCP/IP to our
net interface system, but the two do not currently have a mail interface,
due to the different mfr's ideas about what standard is (grrr). So, for
the time being, the interface is through mail.
Other access, such as anonymous uucp or ftp, will be available from the
various archive sites.
The account to send mail to is xwidgets. The Subject line must start with
one of the following keywords:
help - send info describing how to use the library (this stuff)
dir - directory of available widgets, version level, X11 revision,
and status (untested, tested on Sun386, etc); the whole
directory will be sent unless a second word from the following
list is given:
tk - toolkits,
widgets - widgets,
doc - documentation,
products - commercial products, or
sites - archive sites for the PDWL
request - request for materials; second word should be one of the
keywords listed under dir (except sites), and subsequent
words should be names obtained from the dir command
submit - the body of the mail message contains a submission; second
word should be a keyword as noted above
bug - the body of the mail message contains a bug report; second
word should be a keyword as noted above; third word should
be name of widget, toolkit, doc, or product from dir command
fix - the body of the mail message contains a bug fix; second
word should be a keyword as noted above; third word should
be name of widget, toolkit, doc, or product from dir command
question - the body of the mail message contains some question about
the library system, a widget, or anything related; second
word should be a keyword as noted above; third word should
be name of widget, toolkit, doc, or product from dir command;
general questions need no 2nd or 3rd keyword
other - the body of the mail message contains anything else
Rules of the Game
-----------------
This is not a place for stuff readily available elsewhere,
such as on the MIT tapes. This is for "the rest of us", just to make
life easier for us.
If you have comments/suggestions/etc, please post them if you think
they ought to be public, or else send email to
gatech!stiatl!xwidgets
and let me have your thoughts. Use a subject line of "other", or anything
not listed above.
Currently, all files will be available in shar format. Other formats
are being investigated; an announcement will be made when other formats
become available.
While I will at least look at anything that comes in, portable,
well-documented stuff will get first priority. I have a Sun 386i
available, and will eventually be able to test compile on some
other systems, but in the meantime will have to depend on the stuff
working as advertised. If anybody else is interested in being a test
site for widgets on other systems, let me know.
I am commited to honesty and will release nothing I even suspect to be
dangerous. Neither my employer nor I will assume any liability for
any code sent from the library. For obvious reasons, only source
code will be considered.
The following must be provided with all code:
all necessary source files, other than system include files,
a Makefile, preferably with the following targets:
all
install
clean
(others, such as link and man, are of course welcome),
an Imakefile (I can make 1 in a pinch, but would rather not have to),
a man page (similar documentation from non-Unix systems will
be acceptable, but in addition to any input files, a printable
version will need to be included),
an AUTHORS file with info about who wrote it & how they can be reached,
a patchlevel.h file with the current rev (may become mandatory), and
a README file.
Please make your Makefile or Imakefile as portable as possible before
you send it; hard-to-port stuff will be last priority, and may never
become available if it is at all hard to get running. Imakefiles make
this easier to handle; worst case, try to make sure only 1 or 2 variables
at the top of the Makefile need to be checked.
To be mega-portable, filenames of no more than 12 characters are recommended.
EVEN more importantly, all source & documentation must include a
disclaimer, or a copyright notice, along the lines of the MIT X11
documentation that allows everyone to use the code and/or doc, although
possibly shorter. If no disclaimer is provided, I will provide one
to protect my employer and myself, and hopefully you, but you will
certainly rest better knowing you have defended yourself against
litigous folks with nothing better to do than harass helpful strangers.
In the disclaimer, specifically note that it is in the public domain,
and that nobody is responsible but the user for whatever happens.
You may wish to require that your name not be used in advertising
without permission, etc. Like I said, see the MIT/X11 stuff, or
code from the PDWL.
Any widgets meeting these criteria, that I can compile & run, that work
well, that don't cause trouble, will go in the library. Other stuff
may or may not make it - probably will, with status notes attached.
I will usually respond to library correspondence within 3 working days,
unless I am not here, in which case I will try to get someone else to
cover for me. I will try to respond within 1 working day; obviously
this depends on my schedule (my employer likes some of my time, too 8{).
If there is interest, I could look into making libraries available
on tape or floppy; there would probably be some charge for this.
All widgets, toolkit extensions, and other code, once verified, will
be posted to comp.sources.x. About once a month, a list of new material,
a request for widgets, and information about the PDWL will be posted to
comp.windows.x.
-Miles O'Neal
PDWL coordinator
gatech!stiatl!stiatl
Sales Technologies, Inc
3399 Peachtree Road, N.E.
The Lenox Building, Suite 700
Atlanta, GA 30326
404-841-4000