geoff@fernwood.mpk.ca.us (Geoff Goodfellow) (01/27/91)
The most recent UNIX Today!, Jan 21, 1991, page 41, has an article on Pencom's X-Window implementation for the NeXT, available for "just $149 ($295 for a version including OSD/Motif)." The product, called "Co-Xist", is said to run "within the NeXTStep PostScript-based GUI, allowing users to run NeXTStep and X applications concurrently." Pencom is charging for the media the software is distributed on. For first-generation NeXT machine owners with optical disks, Pencom is "operating a deposit scheme, where users pay a $150 deposit for the disk with software and return it for a refund after downloading the software onto their own disk." Geoff Goodfellow Anterior Technology
bb@shark.cis.ufl.edu (Brian Bartholomew) (01/28/91)
In article <5821@fernwood.mpk.ca.us> geoff@fernwood.mpk.ca.us (Geoff Goodfellow) writes: > The most recent UNIX Today!, Jan 21, 1991, page 41, has an article on > Pencom's X-Window implementation for the NeXT, available for "just $149 > ($295 for a version including OSD/Motif)." > The product, called "Co-Xist", is said to run "within the NeXTStep > PostScript-based GUI, allowing users to run NeXTStep and X applications > concurrently." > Pencom is charging for the media the software is distributed on. > For first-generation NeXT machine owners with optical disks, > Pencom is "operating a deposit scheme, where users pay a $150 > deposit for the disk with software and return it for a refund > after downloading the software onto their own disk." > Geoff Goodfellow > Anterior Technology I just came back from USENIX in Dallas, and there spoke to some of the Pencom staff and kicked the tires on the product. Here are some hopefully unbiased comments, based on what little I had time to see: Pencom appears to be primarily a computer consulting and work-for-hire firm, although they have taken on this product and produced it for themselves, to sell. This is a real product! I saw Motif clients running in an NextStep X root window that was less than screen size on an '030 cube. It was described as an "alpha version", which would be polished up in a "month or two." I personally believe this schedule. It was described as "X11R4", which I believe because it obviously had shape extensions - the xeyes program appeared as two oval eyes and a floating title bar. I had the opportunity to meet and speak with the VP and several of the technical leads at their "Hospitality suite" (read: drink free beer and meet some Pencom people), and they pretty much seemed like a seasoned group that knew what they were doing. I got the impression that this was only one of many sources of revenue for them, so I don't expect the company to dry up and blow away and orphan their users. I asked about the noticeably low price, and they mentioned that they wanted to price it low enough so that it wouldn't have any competition. This is certainly fine with me. I specifically asked if the non-Motif product would have some of the key X clients you would need for use of, rather than development under, X. I specifically asked about xterm, and they said it would be present. I believe that the non-Motif version will not be crippled, but in fact will be a nice run-time flavor for people (like myself) who want access to X stuff on campus, but don't want to run anything more under X than they absolutely have to. Now for the bad news. The demo version was running a wireframe ico on an '030, and it was indeed slow as mud. I am not particularly worried about this, as some things, like window movement, were lightning fast. Remember that to be useful, the X server has to run under NextStep, which puts about twice the number of layers of software between the programs and the screen. Also, I expect there to be a significant amount of speedup between the alpha version, and the final released version. Remember the platitude, "First make it run correctly, then make it run fast"? A little bit of profiling and tuning could make a great deal of difference. So could an '040. Conclusion: Right architecture (child of NextStep) Right release (X11R4) Right price (~$150) I'd buy it! -- "Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from a rigged demo." ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Brian Bartholomew UUCP: ...gatech!uflorida!mathlab.math.ufl.edu!bb University of Florida Internet: bb@math.ufl.edu