winston@ics.UUCP (07/12/88)
XUG PRESENTS- XHIBITION '88 August 22 thru August 25 at MIT, Cambridge, MA Xhibition '88 is an intensive, 4-Day Conference focused on the X Window System. Xhibition is an opportunity for developers and decision makers to investigate the X Window System. Hardware Vendors, Software Vendors, and Large End-Users will meet one another to share information and concerns. X Workstations, X Software Products, and X Services will be displayed and demonstrated. Classes, Seminars, and Discussions on the X Window System will run throughout the conference. There will be technical sessions intended for developers, and strategic sessions intended for decision makers. Vendors will present Seminars on public software as well as proprietary software. Adobe, Apollo, Apple, Applix, AT&T, Century Software, CMU, Daisy Systems, Digital Equipment, Digital Press, ETA Systems, Frame, Hewlett-Packard, Integrated Computer Solutions, Interactive Systems, Interfirm, ITI, IXI, Ltd., Jupiter Systems, MIT, Non-Standard Logics, O'Reilly & Assoc., Parallax, Prentice-Hall, Siemens RTL, Sony Microsystems, Sun, Tektronix, Torch Computers, Systime Computer, University of New Mexico, UniWare, Visual Information Tech., and White Pines Software are among the companies exhibiting and/or giving presentations. Courses Strategic Overview A non-technical, yet comprehensive exploration of X intended for decision makers needing to stay abreast of current Industry trends and developments. Programing with Xlib A programming tutorial introducing developers to Xlib, the C Language Interface to X11. The Xt Toolkit An in-depth exploration of Xt Toolkit Functionality and Widget Use. How to Write a Widget An intensive programming tutorial on Xt Toolkit Widgets. The Andrew Toolkit A high-level description of CMU's Andrew Toolkit. C++ Tutorial A language tutorial describing the various features of C++. Examples utilizing X will be provided. Familiarity with a programming language is assumed. Strategic Seminars ================== The Andrew Toolkit- Strategic View Future of X Impact of the 386 Chip on the Workstation Market International Concerns New Wave Open Dialogue, Strategic View Open Look Role of the MIT X Consortium TAE Plus User Interface Design WISH- An Iconic Unix Interface Why We Chose X X Applications for Supercomputers X3D-PEX XVision Technical Seminars ================== The Andrew Toolkit- Technical View Client - Window Manager Communication Distributed Computing Using X Display PostScript Fonts The HP Widget Set The Image Display List X Toolkit Image Processing Implementation Experiences Implementing X for the 386 Chip Inter-client Communication Live Video Open Dialogue, Technical View Optimizing the X Server Portability between Window Systems Portability of X Clients Porting to System V Siemens RTL Window Manager The Toolkit Intrinsics Question User Interface Architecture Using the Resource Manager X and Supercomputers X and User Interface Tools for AI Tuesday night's Keynote Speaker will be from the Open Software Foundation. Wednesday night's Keynote Speaker will be from AT&T Information Systems. Registration Information Non- XUG Member Member Trade Exhibits: $ 75 $ 50 Seminars and Trade Exhibits: $300 $250 One Class: $300 $250 Two Classes: $475 $425 Deluxe Technical Package: $595 $545 Registration for Technical Courses, All Seminars, All Discussions, All BOFs, Keynote Speakers, Trade Exhibits, Kickoff Party Deluxe Strategic Package: $595 $545 Registration for Strategic Courses, All Seminars, All Discussions, All BOFs, Keynote Speakers, Trade Exhibits, Kickoff Party Note: All course registration is on a first-come, first-served basis. Note: After August 1, a $100 Late fee will be applied; $25 for Trade Exhibits Checks should be made out to Xhibition '88 and sent to; Xhibition '88, 51 Church Street, Boston, MA 02116 For Hotel Information and Registration Questions, contact Xhibition '88, 51 Church Street, Boston, MA 02116 617/482-3596 800/843-3263 (outside Massachusetts) For Information on Exhibiting or Speaking, contact Aub Harden or Peter Winston Integrated Computer Solutions, 43-15 L.I.C., NY 11101; 718/361-2811 ics![harden,winston]@buita.bu.edu See you in August!
ackerman@athena.mit.edu (Mark S. Ackerman) (09/03/88)
Uh, Xhibition has taken a few hits recently, and as one of the tutorial presenters, I'd like to make a couple of points. I don't feel like the flames were made at me, but I'd like to make some general comments. One, when you teach anything, you've got to decide where to aim. People will complain less if you make the material hard. The people who are knowledgeable will be happy, and the people who didn't understand something -- well, they'll be too cowed to complain. I personally chose not to do that. I can only speak for myself, as I didn't attend any of the other tutorials. I think writing widgets is easy, but only after a few insights. I'm much more worried about the general group of people that have to subclass a widget for some slight change than the few that have already rewritten the text widget. So I designed my tutorial for beginners (whatever that means since you've got to already know X to write a simple widget). Maybe I got the pacing wrong, but better to go a little slow and let everyone keep up. My point is this: if you've been programming X for a long time, don't go to a beginning tutorial. Jordan, I've certainly seen your name on this list enough - with enough good questions and comments - to expect that you'll get much out of a tutorial. Especially one as impersonal as that required by the large hall and mobs of people. Let tutorials be for beginners. Also, this suggests that at future shows or conferences (are you listening, Bob and Peter?), there ought to be at least two tracks -- one for beginners and one for pros. Two, admittedly the cost to me was quite low, seeing that I'm here at the Institute anyways, but I appreciated the trade show. I'm too old a hand at computers to believe anything I don't see, and this was an opportunity to see what companies had and what they didn't. (And what broke when you used it, and what was so broken that they wouldn't even let you near it.) Mark Ackerman (Ack) Also -- If you want to argue with me about whether X stuff should be free or people should pay market-rates, well, let's do that off-line or in News.talk.capitalism or whatever. I, myself, alternate on the issue.
jkh@violet.berkeley.edu (Jordan K. Hubbard) (09/03/88)
In article <6936@bloom-beacon.MIT.EDU> ackerman@athena.mit.edu (Mark S. Ackerman) writes: > >My point is this: if you've been programming X for a long time, don't go >to a beginning tutorial. Jordan, I've certainly seen your name on this >list enough - with enough good questions and comments - to expect that >you'll get much out of a tutorial. Especially one as impersonal as Actually, strangely enough, Mark's "How to write a widget" tutorial was the one class I did want to go to. The fact that it became quickly full (and that I didn't really want to lay out the extra $300 and vacillated too long) were the only things that prevented me from doing so. As it was, I didn't attend any of the classes and only had my girlfriend's opinion of the Xlib tutorial (and she is a beginner) to go on, vis-a-vis the class scene. My major complaints were with the seminars. I agree with Mark totally when he says that there should be a division between the novice and "xpert" classes/seminars/propaganda-sessions at any future event of this nature. I do think I would have learned something at the widget tutorial. I haven't spent that much time using the toolkit. - Jordan