[comp.soft-sys.andrew] XR4

mss+@ANDREW.CMU.EDU (Mark Sherman) (09/30/89)

I am about to go home sick, so I hope this is coherent.

We will be make a release of the Andrew software on the X.V11R4 tape. We
sent a preliminary (beta) version that software to MIT for inclusion on
the X.V11R4 beta tape, and to selected beta sites of our own. At the
moment, we are working with those sites to debug the installation
procedures for the whole system, which is currently about 35 megabytes
of source. Once we have our beta sites going (we hope to send them some
patches soon -- they are being verified as I write this), I will send
out general information to the info-andrew mailing list describing what
is going on and how interested parties can try a beta version. As to
your specific questions:

 - what classes/methods/protocols exist now that will change or disappear

The basic view and data objects remain the same, as is the basic
view-data model. We haven't generated a diff of the changes on a
method-by-method basis, and I don't think we could say anything more
meaningful. However, the class system has been reworked to make it much
easier to port to new machines.

 - will the graphics model change to a postscript model

No

 - will hard copy output still be troff or will it be postscript or TeX

Text is still troff; some insets generate postscript directly.

 - will there be more support in the base classes for color

No, still Fore/back RGB

 - will the class language support class methods that can be overridden

No

 - will there be a garbage collector

No

 - will the WantUpdate - Update protocol change (since many of the basic
	classes don't follow it and draw in the window during Hits)

To the best of my knowledge, the definition of the drawing protocol
allows drawing during Update *and* Hit.


Finally, will the ITC make this new version of the ATK available prior to
the XR4 release?

Yes. More information as it is available.

Mark Sherman
Manager, Applications Group

grogers@BULLWINKLE.CS.UIUC.EDU (Greg Rogers) (01/06/90)

Does the XR3 release of andrew (I think that was andrew version 2) work
with the XR4 Xlib and server on an IBM RT?  I looked into upgrading to andrew
version 3, but decided to avoid that as long as possible.