roland@osf.ORG (Roland Stich) (12/31/88)
----------------------------------------------------------------------- Organization: Open Software Foundation (OSF) ----------------------------------------------------------------------- X-Mailer: Elm [version 2.01 (alpha-release)] Please find attached the UEC announcement letter which OSF has sent out to its membership yesterday... - Roland Sich, OSF ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Roland Stich | roland@osf.org | Internet Open Software Foundation | ..!uunet!osf.org!roland | UUCP 11 Cambridge Center | (USA) (617) 621-8717 | PHONE Cambridge, MA 02142 | (USA) (617) 225-2782 | FAX ----------------------------------------------------------------------- December 29, 1988 Dear OSF Member: The Open Software Foundation is pleased to announce the selection of graphical user interface technologies which will be used to form its Core User Environment Component (Core UEC). Selection of these technologies was based on technical excellence, maturity, compatibility with standards, and ability to perform in a heterogeneous network environment including PCs. The Core UEC is an optimum composite of the Digital Equipment Corporation toolkit submission to OSF, and the Presentation Manager-compatible behavior and 3D appearance of the Hewlett-Packard/Microsoft submission. The UEC is based on the MIT X Window System, Version 11 Release 3. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ USER ENVIRONMENT COMPONENT RFT PROCESS ------------------------------------------------------------------------ With this announcement, OSF fulfills an important set of commitments to you, and demonstrates the viability of an open review and selection process that began with a Request For Technology on July 18, 1988. More than twenty of the best available graphical user interface systems worldwide were reviewed under this RFT by the OSF membership and staff. During the review period, members had access to product demonstrations and specifications. Interaction between members, technology submitters, and the OSF staff directly influenced the choice of selection criteria. The OSF evaluation team consisted of a group of interface technology specialists, business and marketing specialists, software technologists with skills in related areas (e.g. Native Language Systems) and a group of consultants including: o Bob Scheifler, Director of the MIT X Consortium; o Jim Foley, Chairman of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at The George Washington University; o Muriel Cooper, Director of the Visual Language Laboratory at the MIT Media Lab; and o Patricia Seybold and Michael Millikin of Seybold's Office Computing Group. The evaluation team was unanimous in its recommendation of this Core User Environment Component. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ DEVELOPMENT AND RELEASE PROCESS ------------------------------------------------------------------------ With this announcement, the User Environment Component RFT process ends and the technology development and release phase begins. A team composed of Digital Equipment Corporation and Hewlett-Packard Company engineers, under the direction of OSF staff, will develop the Core UEC. The complete, fully tested and supported public release will be available for shipment by Summer, 1989. Both the Digital and Hewlett-Packard submissions are based on the MIT Toolkit Intrinsics. By preserving the Application Program Interface of the Digital toolkit and adding the HP/Microsoft feature set, the development of the Core UEC is greatly simplified. By the end of January, you will be able to license and receive the first snapshot of this technology. You can make immediate use of the first snapshot to prototype application software. If your priority is to minimize changes to application code, your prototype should use the Digital portion of the snapshot. If it is important for your prototype to exhibit appearance and behavior consistent with the Core UEC, you should use the Hewlett-Packard/Microsoft portion. Subsequent snapshots will be made available frequently to licensed members. These will include the intermediate software and documentation releases as well as project status reporting. OSF intends to make its user interface software available in a variety of operating system environments including the OSF/1 Operating System and the Unix System V Release 4. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ CORE USER ENVIRONMENT COMPONENT ------------------------------------------------------------------------ The Core User Environment Component will consist of source code, full documentation set, test packages and other materials covering the following major areas: o Style Guide; o Window Manager; o Interface Toolkit; and o Presentation Description Language and Compiler. Style Guide (Appearance and Behavior) ------------------------------------------------------------------------ A style guide describes the essential behavioral characteristics of an interface and addresses conventions for use of such interface components as menus and forms. Behavior of the Core UEC is based on the joint Hewlett-Packard/Microsoft submission. It is compatible with a subset of the Microsoft Presentation Manager behavior and includes extensions appropriate to powerful network workstation environments. For the reference appearance of the Core UEC, OSF has selected the 3D appearance developed by Hewlett-Packard. Window Manager ------------------------------------------------------------------------ A window manager allows the user to manipulate the layout of multiple applications on a screen. A window manager plays a principal role in enforcing interface behavior policy. OSF has selected Hewlett-Packard's window manager, which supports Presentation Manager behavior conventions. Some features (such as icon grouping) from the Digital window manager will be added. Interface Toolkit ------------------------------------------------------------------------ An interface toolkit is a library of graphical objects (such as menus and forms) which are useful in constructing a user interface. OSF has selected Digital Equipment Corporation's toolkit, with extensions to support the 3D appearance and Presentation Manager behavior as specified in the Hewlett-Packard/Microsoft style guide. Presentation Description Language ------------------------------------------------------------------------ A presentation description language allows an application developer to describe the presentation characteristics of the application interface, independant of the application code. OSF has selected Digital Equipment Corporation's User Interface Language (UIL) to be used in conjunction with the Interface Toolkit. The UIL compiler and resource manager will be part of the Core UEC. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ CATALOG TECHNOLOGY PROGRAM ------------------------------------------------------------------------ The RFT process exposed several technology areas that are of significant interest to the membership, but are not yet appropriate for standardization. Whenever appropriate, OSF intends to make available important examples of technologies in these areas, through a Catalog Technology Program. The Catalog Technology Program provides for the ongoing review of product-quality software in an area that is likely to eventually be included in an OSF core offering. The principal requirements for participation in this catalog are strict compatibility with the underlying core technology and a qualification review by OSF. The Catalog Technology Program will focus initially on solutions in the User Interface Management Systems area. Dialog Description Languages and their relation to Presentation Description Languages (such as UIL) are of particular interest. As a result of the RFT process the Swedish Telecom Group and Apollo Computer, Inc. submissions emerged as candidates for inclusion in the Catalog Technology Program. Similarly, the OSF Research Institute will provide exposure to important research technologies. These technologies are either exploratory in nature or are not yet coupled to product support. Carnegie-Mellon University and Groupe Bull have submitted technologies, as part of the RFT, which are candidates for the Research Technology distribution. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ CALENDAR ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Press events announcing the OSF User Environment Component will be held on January 11th and 13th in Cambridge, MA and Frankfurt, West Germany, respectively. Prior to these events, you will receive a comprehensive information package including a rationale document describing the review and selection process, and information on licensing terms and conditions. There will be a detailed review of these materials and development status report at the next member meeting on March 6th in San Francisco. Best wishes for a healthy and happy New Year. John Paul Director of Development
thp@westhawk.UUCP ("Timothy H Panton.") (01/03/89)
>The Core UEC is an optimum composite of the Digital Equipment Corporation >toolkit submission to OSF, and the Presentation Manager-compatible behavior >and 3D appearance of the Hewlett-Packard/Microsoft submission. The UEC >is based on the MIT X Window System, Version 11 Release 3. Where does this leave those of us who are using the current Hp widget set? Stuck at X11R2? Can any one at HP comment on the future support for these widgets? Tim. +----------------------------------------------------------------------------+ |Tim Panton, Westhawk Ltd. (Bright the hawk's flight on the empty sky.)| |Paper: Westhawk Ltd. 26 Rydal Grove, Helsby, Cheshire, WA6 OET. UK. | |Phone: +44 92822574 uucp : ..!mcvax!ukc!cam-cl!westhawk!thp | +----------------------------------------------------------------------------+