zwicky@pterodactyl.cis.ohio-state.edu (Elizabeth D. Zwicky) (02/19/88)
How's this for a reasonably educated comparison? We run X and NeWS. We have reasonably expert programmers in both. Recently, two competent (to say the least) C programmers with considerable UNIX experience (and no experience in programming either window system) set out to write graphic front ends for programs, one in X and one in NeWS. Both programs took approximately the same amount of time to write. (The X in question is X10; the NeWS is 1.1 *very* beta) *But* there were some differences. The NeWS programmer had a much lower level of frustration. The code for the NeWS program is shorter. The NeWS program has a better user interface, because its programmer could afford to spend more time on the user interface. Finally, the X programmer wants to write future programs in NeWS, and *not* in X, while the NeWS programmer also wants to write future programs in NeWS. (My favorite measure here is "number of times programmer publicly expressed a desire to bang his head against the wall"; NeWS is the clear winner here, with only 1 or 2, compared to X's about 1 a day.) Obviously, this leaves a lot of unanswered questions about NeWS' advantages, but it does seem to indicate that all other things being equal, it's easier to program. Elizabeth Zwicky
david@geac.UUCP (David Haynes) (02/26/88)
In article <6861@tut.cis.ohio-state.edu> zwicky@pterodactyl.cis.ohio-state.edu (Elizabeth D. Zwicky) writes: >How's this for a reasonably educated comparison? OK as far as it goes, but how far is that? >We run X and NeWS. We have reasonably expert programmers in both. >Recently, two competent (to say the least) C programmers with >considerable UNIX experience (and no experience in programming either > window system) set out to write graphic front ends for programs, one >in X and one in NeWS. Both programs took approximately the same amount >of time to write. (The X in question is X10; the NeWS is 1.1 *very* beta) > >*But* there were some differences. The NeWS programmer had a much >lower level of frustration. The code for the NeWS program is shorter. >The NeWS program has a better user interface, because its programmer >could afford to spend more time on the user interface. Finally, >the X programmer wants to write future programs in NeWS, and *not* >in X, while the NeWS programmer also wants to write future programs >in NeWS. (My favorite measure here is "number of times programmer >publicly expressed a desire to bang his head against the wall"; >NeWS is the clear winner here, with only 1 or 2, compared to X's >about 1 a day.) So, from a programming perspective it appears that it is easier to deal with NeWs than with X. I have no difficulty with that. >Obviously, this leaves a lot of unanswered questions about NeWS' >advantages, but it does seem to indicate that all other things >being equal, it's easier to program. > > Elizabeth Zwicky Yes, and if that is your only criteria for making the selection, NeWs is the way to go. However, most of us have to factor in a vast number of variables in order to make a choice of which system to use. Consider the following factors: (not ranked in any way) Cost of the development package. Cost of associated royalties Performance Presentational concepts (artistic merit) Distributability Extensibility Flexibility Base of installation General market demand Difficulty to program Degree to which the design philosophy matches your own Vendor support etc. etc. etc. This whole ``My windowing system is better than your windowing system'' argument sounds suspiciously like DEC reps asking me why I would ever program in UNIX when VMS is so much better. The point is, the one that satisfies your needs the most wins. -david- p.s. Having said all this, let me assure you readers that I use both X and NeWs and Suntools and a number of other WIMPS packages and have not made up my mind which makes me most comfortable yet. (WIMPS - Window, Icon, Mouse-Pointer Systems ;-) ) -- David Haynes Geac Computers International Inc. UUCP: {uunet!mnetor | yunexus | utgpu}!geac!david