djf@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (10/18/88)
I am a programmer at MIT's Project Athena working with Ralph Swick on
the X toolkit. My particular project is to improve the useability of
the programmer's interface -- to make it easier and more pleasant for
application writers to use Xt. I am working on some obvious
problems -- the link size is too big for small applications, it is
awkward to use ArgLists everywhere etc. I also want to produce a
reasonably comprehensive report analyzing the usability problems, and
recommending solutions. To do this, I need the input of lots of X
Toolkit programmers (and those who've used it and given up on it.)
Please take some time to think about your experiences with Xt, and let
me know about them -- your time will help build a better toolkit.
I do not want to hear:
-- flames (I will ignore advice to trash Xt and start over)
-- bug reports (I'm concerned here with design, not implementation)
I do want to know:
-- How long have you (did you) used Xt?
-- How long did you take to learn it?
-- What were the major stumbling blocks while learning?
** What makes Xt difficult and annoying to use?
-- How would you fix these gripes?
** What new features should be added to the Intrinsics? (ie.
are there things you've wanted to do with Xt that the
Intrinsics wouldn't allow or wouldn't allow gracefully?)
-- Which widget sets have you used?
** What widgets urgently need to be implemented or fixed?
** In a full Xt environment, what are appropriate tasks for widgets?
(ie. what widgets should be implemented in thefuture?)
-- Are you an application writer or a widget writer?
-- Do you have suggestions for making widget writing easier?
-- If you've written code for useful widgets, are you willing
to contribute it?
I am particularly interested in the starred questions. These are just
suggestions, I don't need replies in any particular format. Answer
any or all of the questions, and add anything else you'd like to see
added or fixed. Please forward this message to any Xt programmers you
know who don't read this mailing list.
Don't reply to xpert, instead reply to:
djf@athena.mit.edu
- OR -
David Flanagan
69 Chestnut St.
Cambridge, MA 02139
(617) 492-6983
Thank you for your time.