cearl@aristotle.ils.nwu.edu (Charles Earl) (06/13/90)
We will be developing multimedia (e.g. video, animation, digitized images,etc.) based educational software using ibm RS/6000s and 386's as development platforms -- assume UNIX environment. Initial development will most likely occur on the RISC machines but the 386's are intended target (we will actually be using 386s for some months until RISCs arrive). We have been a MacII shop, doing most development in Mac Common Lisp. I am trying to decide on an appropriate development environment and would like feedback from the experts. We would like to use Lisp/Scheme, but Smalltalk, C++, C, etc. would be ok if no other options for graphics environments exist. The environment should: (1) Facillitate construction of window-based applications. This also implies support of important window env features like buttons, icons, etc. (2) Support development of fast, attractive animation -- that is, we would want fairly rich graphics libraries/packages. (3) Allow development of multimedia applications, especially those which would incorporate video. (4) Have a foreign function facility (e.g. would allow calls to Pascal, C, etc.). (5) Provide support of object - oriented programming (this is not essential ). Any ideas, comments appreciated
dunn@uhccux.uhcc.Hawaii.Edu (John Dunn) (06/14/90)
In article <835@anaxagoras.ils.nwu.edu> cearl@aristotle.ils.nwu.edu (Charles Earl) writes: >We will be developing multimedia (e.g. video, animation, digitized images,etc.) >based educational software using ibm RS/6000s and 386's as development >platforms -- assume UNIX environment. Initial development will most likely > occur on the RISC machines but >the 386's are intended target (we will actually be using 386s for some months >until RISCs arrive). > >We have been a MacII shop, doing most development in Mac Common Lisp. >I am trying to decide on an appropriate development environment and >would like feedback from the experts. We would like to use >Lisp/Scheme, but Smalltalk, C++, C, etc. would be ok if no other >options for graphics environments exist. > If you are most comfortable working in an interactive Lisp environment, but you need to produce real-world working code, you might consider Laboratory Microsystem's 386/UR Forth. It runs in protected mode, has a first rate virtual memory facility, and is faster then C by a fair degree. Several times I have gone to assembley language for loop-critical components, only to find I had a 2* savings - the speed of this product is difficult to believe. Compile speed is likewise considerably faster than you are likely to see with C or Pascal - especially when you include link time. I believe LMI has a compatible version that works under UNIX. They definitely have one that works under OS/2, and have made noises about bringing out a Windows 3 version. My own experience was similar to yours - I had worked in a Lisp developemt mode until there was enough groundwork to take the project to a real-world releasable version. After close to 6 months of false starts, I tried out 386 UR/Forth. The only thing that wasn't available was some means of treating data as objects - I had become use to Flavors in Lisp. Eventually, after an exaustive search of the available Forth code (there is a mountain of it, but it is mostly unusable IMHO), I gave up, bit the bullet and wrote a object-type memory manager with very fast automatic garbage collection. This whole system has worked so well for me that now, even if there were to be a Lisp package around that included a reasonable means of delivering the finished software to the end user, I would stick with 386 Forth. Oh yes, the Memory Object Package is in the Public Domain - You will find it on the UR/Forth BBS system that you will have access to when you buy any of the UR/Forths. -John Dunn
paul@actrix.co.nz (Paul Gillingwater) (06/15/90)
In article <835@anaxagoras.ils.nwu.edu> cearl@aristotle.ils.nwu.edu (Charles Earl) writes: Try XVT, from XVT software in Boulder, Colorado. It's a virtual toolkit with heaps of features, that runs on a wide range of UNIX and other platforms. I think there is a Macintosh version too, and even one for DOS! It's far more than just a set of Motif widgets, although it's compatible with them. > (1) Facillitate construction of window-based applications. This also > implies support of important window env features like buttons, > icons, etc. Yep, does all this I think. > (2) Support development of fast, attractive animation -- that is, > we would want fairly rich graphics libraries/packages. Don't know -- this might be a weak area. > (3) Allow development of multimedia applications, especially those > which would incorporate video. Don't know. > (4) Have a foreign function facility (e.g. would allow calls to Pascal, > C, etc.). Yes, I think so. > (5) Provide support of object - oriented programming (this is not > essential ). There's a library for C++ use. Hope this helps. No, I don't have the address here (I'm at home). -- Paul Gillingwater, paul@actrix.co.nz