jdd@db.toronto.edu (John DiMarco) (01/04/91)
GEM, if I recall correctly, was Digital Research's answer to the Mac interface. It ran on PCs and Atari STs. It certainly appears to be extensively used in the ST world, but I've seen very little news about it in the PC world. Is anyone out there using GEM on PCs? Is there any PC GEM software floating around? (Ftp sites, for example?) John -- John DiMarco jdd@db.toronto.edu or jdd@db.utoronto.ca University of Toronto, CSRI BITNET: jdd%db.toronto.edu@relay.cs.net (416) 978-8609 UUCP: uunet!utai!db!jdd
sire@PacBell.COM (Sheldon Rothenburg) (01/04/91)
In article <91Jan3.122458est.259@ois.db.toronto.edu> jdd@db.toronto.edu (John DiMarco) writes: >GEM, if I recall correctly, was Digital Research's answer to the Mac >interface. It ran on PCs and Atari STs. It certainly appears to be >extensively used in the ST world, but I've seen very little news about >it in the PC world. Is anyone out there using GEM on PCs? It is used as the foundation of the user interface in Xerox's popular PC desktop publishing software package "Ventura Publisher". Shelley
finfrock@ncis.tis.llnl.gov (Scott Finfrock) (01/04/91)
In article <91Jan3.122458est.259@ois.db.toronto.edu> jdd@db.toronto.edu (John DiMarco) writes: >GEM, if I recall correctly, was Digital Research's answer to the Mac >interface. It ran on PCs and Atari STs. It certainly appears to be >extensively used in the ST world, but I've seen very little news about >it in the PC world. Is anyone out there using GEM on PCs? I have it as well as GEM DRAW. They came bundled with my AT about 2 years ago. I don't use it, its like a Mac, only worse :-). -- -Scott Finfrock- My E-mail address is: finfrock@ncis.tis.llnl.gov But actually I'm in: Richland, Washington
powsner@csb1.nlm.nih.gov (Seth M Powsner) (01/05/91)
I use GEM Desktop and GEM Draw quite a bit. Others in my office group have gotten good use out of GEM WordChart and GEM Graph. There's not much GEM Shareware (though there may be more in Europe and more for the Atari). Best place for info is the DRI (Digital Research Inc) support forum on CompuServe. Can also try the Atari ST related forums (Usenet and CompuServe). Best catalog is from Digital Research (UK) Limited, Oxford House, Oxford Street, NEWBURY, Berks RG131JB, UK, phone 44 635 35304 The US Hq is DRI, 60 Garden CT, PO Box DRI, Monterey, CA 93942. Main reason we use GEM is that it gives quite acceptable performance on plain old XT's with Hercules Graphic cards (and tolerable appearance on even CGA displays). It can be used as a graphical shell to regular DOS programs (double click a WordPerfect file and end up in WP with it loaded). Allows technophobes to survive in a MS-DOS work environment if you add a mouse package including pop-up menus and Extended Batch Language. The plain Desktop is probably going for <=$50. I've actually developed some GEM software using TurboC and the GEM Developer's Kit (about $500). Not easy, but not as tough as Windows from the reports I've read. AND, the final program can run on simple PC's. My impression is that if you like programming for Xwindows or the Mac you won't mind GEM too much. A >=12mHz AT makes a fine development system. Can develop packages for Atari ST if you're inclined. Hope that answers your questions. ---Seth M Powsner powsner@nlm.nih.gov powsner@yalemed.bitnet
bruceh@servprod.inel.gov (Bruce Hiltbrand) (03/01/91)
Does anyone know where on can get desk accessory type programs for GEM Desktop? I have version 2.1. Also, I would like to know how to install the accessory once I get it. Thanks in advance. Anyone with any information can e-mail me at bruceh@pmafire.inel.gov Use of the reply commands will bounce because of my server, so the above address needs to be used. Bruce Hiltbrand (bruceh@pmafire.inel.gov)
chien@wam.umd.edu (Minze V. Chien) (03/04/91)
In article <1991Mar01.074112.7556@pmafire.inel.gov> bruceh@servprod.inel.gov (Bruce Hiltbrand) writes: >Does anyone know where on can get desk accessory type programs for >GEM Desktop? ... I would like to know this info too. (I have version 3 GEM) BTW, is it possible to convert .GEM files to .PCX or .TIF (or other graphic format ) files? I have IMG2PCX.EXE came with the package, but it doesn't recognize .GEM files. If possible, I'd like to convert GEM Draw Plus files to any popular format to be included in Lotus Menuscript. Thanks for any help. -- .............................................................................. Minze V. Chien, Dept. of Electrical Engineering, U. of Maryland, College Park Internet:chien@wam.umd.edu mvc@eng.umd.edu BITNET: CHIEN@UMDC SPAN: IAF::CHIEN
mir@opera.chorus.fr (Adam Mirowski) (03/04/91)
In article <1991Mar3.215413.16325@wam.umd.edu>, chien@wam.umd.edu (Minze V. Chien) writes: %% In article <1991Mar01.074112.7556@pmafire.inel.gov> bruceh@servprod.inel.gov %% (Bruce Hiltbrand) writes: %% >Does anyone know where on can get desk accessory type programs for %% >GEM Desktop? %% %% I would like to know this info too. (I have version 3 GEM) %% %% BTW, is it possible to convert .GEM files to .PCX or .TIF (or other %% graphic format ) files? I have IMG2PCX.EXE came with the package, but %% it doesn't recognize .GEM files. If possible, I'd like to convert %% GEM Draw Plus files to any popular format to be included in Lotus %% Menuscript. Thanks for any help. .GEM files are vector format files, not raster/bitmap ones like .PCX or .TIF. So you cannot "convert" them without losing on the resolution. .GEM files are probably GEM system metafiles, i.e. are direct GEM graphic commands encoded in a binary form. To convert them to another "vector" format is pretty complicated. To convert them to a bitmap, you would need to reimplement the whole GEM graphics. To avoid this one could write a GEM application that draws the metafile on the screen, then takes a bitmap (.IMG) snapshot. It is possible that the utilities provided with Ventura could do the job. Ventura by itself converts to .GEM or to .IMG all the formats it accepts, according to their type. As .GEM is a metafile, it is then pretty staight- forward to display them on screen... :-) -- Adam Mirowski, mir@chorus.fr (FRANCE), tel. +33 (1) 30-64-82-00 or 74 Chorus systemes, 6, av.Gustave Eiffel, 78182 Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines CEDEX