aim@Corp.Sun.COM (Amy) (12/07/90)
>>From unify!openlook-request@csusac.ecs.csus.edu Thu Dec 6 06:11:14 1990 >>Received-Date: Thu, 6 Dec 90 05:39:52 -0800 >>Posted-Date: Wed, 5 Dec 90 12:55:51 CST >>To: openlook@unify.com >>Subject: XView vs OLIT? >> >>I'm looking for some advice. If I'm going to develop a new OPEN LOOK >>application, should I use XView or OLIT/Xt+? >> >>I understand the difference between these two, but I'm interested in all the >>pro's and con's. >> >>For example, which is more conformant now? Which is likely to be most conformant >>in the future? Which is easier to program? Easier to port? Which gets the best >>support? Which is the most ICCCM-conformant? Which is the most robust? The >>fastest? Etc. I cannot address the areas of robustness & speed (would be an interesting comparison!), but I can give some advice on ease of programming: It actually depends on your experience with windows programming. If you're a seasoned sunview programmer, then XView will require significantly less ramp up time (if almost none at all, since the API is so similar). If you've programmed with Athena widgets or Motif (Intriniscs based toolkits) then OLIT would be easier to pick up. If you've got little to no X windows programming experience, then XView is a bit easier to learn - plus the fact that the DevGuide product (which allows you to build a user interface graphically and is very fast and easy to use) currently generates XView code. If you are not in a hurry to develop your program (ramp up time not being an issue) then I encourage you to take a close look at exactly what you are trying to accomplish with the toolkit. i.e. WIll it be a complex user interface with lots of popups and dynamic creation and deletion of objects? Or is it more of a simple, static OpenLook UI using a couple subwindows and some buttons & menus? For the former case I'd tend to recommend OLIT because there are OLIT widgets which handle dynamic sizing and relative positioning very nicely, which the current version of XView does not handle well. If it's the latter case, then I'd go with XView - no need to deal with the complexity of using the Intrinsics when XView will provide your required functionality with significantly less effort. Some other tidbits on Pros and Cons: .XView provides and API for handling Colormaps, ServerImages, cursors, icons, while OLIT (Intrinsics) require you to use Xlib directly for such things. .OLIT provides more freedom in object layout - it will let you nest all kinds of objects (i.e. Forms within Forms,etc) while XView is pretty strict about this, i.e. You can only put Panel Objects in a Panel, textsw in a frame, etc. .XView currently has an API to receive objects dropped on the app from the OW V2 filemgr, while this requires some very nitty-gritty programming in OLIT(and is NOT recommended since drag&drop WILL change for OW V3). .OLIT provides the extensive use of application or user defined resources (via the Intrinsics) so that you can specify values for widget attributes OUTSIDE the program in resource files (which comes in handy when configuring/changing a UI - no need to recompile, just change the value of the resource in the resource file). Currently XView provides a very limited ability to do this. If you're concerned with portability to OTHER platforms: XView is being ported to all varieties (DEC, IBM, PC, MAC, etc) and the source if freely available on expo. OLIT is currently only available on the Sun, AT&T and HP platforms. The source is available from AT&T USL for $1000 or from the Sun OpenWindows source offering for $995. However, since OLIT is based on Intrinsics, it's much easier to port to other Intrinsics toolkits (I won't mention names!) since a great deal of the code will be common. (OLIT is based on the MIT R4 Intrinsics). I've programmed extensively in both. I can easily say XView was easier to learn. However, there have been some cases where I've required the flexibility in layout that OLIT provides, and once I spent the time learning the Intrinsics I've grown to appreciate the power it provides to the programmer. This doesn't answer all of your questions, but it's a start. I'd encourage you to take a close look at both before deciding. Regards, Amy Moore Member of Technical Staff Market Development Group Sun Microsystems, Inc. aim@sun.com >> >> >>Regards, >> >>Kerry Kimbrough >> >>kk@tivoli.com >>
tomj@snowking.Eng.Sun.COM (Tom Jacobs) (12/07/90)
The December 1990 "SunTech Journal" has several interesting articles comparing the various GUIs and APIs (including XView and Xt). Dan Heller (writer of both OPEN LOOK and Motif reference manuals) wrote a couple of the article, so the source is at least qualified to make the comparisons. Phone numbers for SunTech are (415)363-5200 in Redwood City CA and (603)924-0100 in Peterbourough NH. --Tom In article <g9jy68v@openlook.Unify.Com>, kk@shasta.tivoli.com (Kerry Kimbrough) writes: |> I'm looking for some advice. If I'm going to develop a new OPEN LOOK |> application, should I use XView or OLIT/Xt+? |> |> I understand the difference between these two, but I'm interested in all the |> pro's and con's. |> |> For example, which is more conformant now? Which is likely to be most conformant |> in the future? Which is easier to program? Easier to port? Which gets the best |> support? Which is the most ICCCM-conformant? Which is the most robust? The |> fastest? Etc. |> |> |> Regards, |> |> Kerry Kimbrough |> |> kk@tivoli.com
david@jpl-devvax.JPL.NASA.GOV (David E. Smyth) (12/12/90)
aim@Corp.Sun.COM (Amy) writes: > >Some other tidbits on Pros and Cons: > > .OLIT provides the extensive use of application or user defined > resources (via the Intrinsics) so that you can specify values > for widget attributes OUTSIDE the program in resource files > (which comes in handy when configuring/changing a UI - no > need to recompile, just change the value of the resource in > the resource file). Currently XView provides a very limited > ability to do this. Amy, have you used Wcl with OLIT yet? For those of you who don't know what Wcl is, here's a summary: Wcl, the Widget Creation Library, is a thin veneer over capabilites provided by the Xrm X Resource Manager which is in Xlib but extensively used by Xt based widget sets. Xrm allows the attributes of Widgets to be specified in resource files. It also allows the bindings between key and mouse events and application or library functions to be specified. Wcl adds the ability to specify callback bindings, widget types, and widget heirarchies in the resource files. The end result is this: your application ends up implementing callbacks, and the resource file contains *virtually* all the code which says anything about the interface. Its a nice separation of UI and behavior. The resource files are free of logic in almost every respect, and are free from alloc/free hassles. Therefore, non-programmers have little problems making major contributions to the user interface. Resource files are interpreted, so you've got a very quick edit-test cycle - no compile/link required. Also, Wcl makes your application start up faster in almost every case because the widget creation order is optimal (recursive). ------------------------------------------------------------------------- David Smyth david@jpl-devvax.jpl.nasa.gov Senior Software Engineer, seismo!cit-vax!jpl-devvax!david X and Object Guru. (818)393-0983 Jet Propulsion Lab, M/S 230-103, 4800 Oak Grove Drive, Pasadena, CA 91109 --------------------------- Quote of the Day: --------------------------- "A Guru is not one who simply knows all the answers. Rather, a Guru is like one who walks among the mountains, and by wandering around abit, can see the horizon through long narrow canyons." -------------------------------------------------------------------------