[comp.windows.misc] x-window on pc

simnet@ssc-vax.UUCP (Mark R Poulson) (10/31/89)

I'm looking for ways to develop X-Windows application software and run it on 
an IBM PC or compatible (possibly under the Xenix OS).  My final product 
should also need to be portable e.g. to a SUN.  Any idea or comment will be
greatly appreciated.

A. Hsu

madd@world.std.com (jim frost) (11/12/89)

simnet@ssc-vax.UUCP (Mark R Poulson) writes:
>I'm looking for ways to develop X-Windows application software and run it on 
>an IBM PC or compatible (possibly under the Xenix OS).  My final product 
>should also need to be portable e.g. to a SUN.  Any idea or comment will be
>greatly appreciated.

Well-written X applications are highly portable, so that shouldn't be
a major problem.  If you make use of UNIX-flavor-dependent functions,
such as tty control, it's a little harder.  This kind of thing is
generally unnecessary under X.

If you want to do this, I recommend using Interactive Systems Corp's
386/ix instead of Xenix.  They have the best 386 X windows I've ever
seen, period.  ESIX's X had poor performance relative to Interactive
even though they were running on exactly the same hardware.  Xenix,
last I heard, was still R2.  Xenix also uses the flaky Microsoft
compiler.  Pcc isn't great but it's fairly reliable.

If you want to write X applications on a 8086 or 80286 machine, good
luck.  There are fairly useful servers that run on those machines but
no good systems to run servers and clients.

jim frost
software tool & die     "The World" Public Access Unix for the '90s
madd@std.com            +1 617-739-WRLD  24hrs {3,12,24}00bps

chasm@attctc.Dallas.TX.US (Charles Marslett) (11/14/89)

In article <1989Nov11.175220.25696@world.std.com>, madd@world.std.com (jim frost) writes:
> simnet@ssc-vax.UUCP (Mark R Poulson) writes:
> >I'm looking for ways to develop X-Windows application software and run it on 
> >an IBM PC or compatible (possibly under the Xenix OS).  My final product 
> >should also need to be portable e.g. to a SUN.  Any idea or comment will be
> >greatly appreciated.
> 
> Well-written X applications are highly portable, so that shouldn't be
> a major problem.  If you make use of UNIX-flavor-dependent functions,
> such as tty control, it's a little harder.  This kind of thing is
> generally unnecessary under X.
> 
> If you want to do this, I recommend using Interactive Systems Corp's
> 386/ix instead of Xenix.  They have the best 386 X windows I've ever
> seen, period.  ESIX's X had poor performance relative to Interactive
> even though they were running on exactly the same hardware.  Xenix,
> last I heard, was still R2.  Xenix also uses the flaky Microsoft
> compiler.  Pcc isn't great but it's fairly reliable.

As a corollary, I have been trying to get support from any of the Unix
vendors for 256-color X-windows drivers.  None offered to provide them,
but Interactive has been working diligently, and has been testing my code
for me against their applications, so I am very pleased with their
support for X11.

On the other hand, I have tried several times to discuss what I have to do
to support X11 in 8-plane mode, and I have yet to talk to the same person
twice at SCO (and I haven't really tried to talk to anyone at Everex yet).

In general, I think Interactive is much more committed to Xwindows than
the other vendors.

[And our 256-color 800x600 and 1024x768 drivers will work there, too;^)]

> jim frost
> software tool & die     "The World" Public Access Unix for the '90s
> madd@std.com            +1 617-739-WRLD  24hrs {3,12,24}00bps

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