Re: python/stdwin/motif

Lance Ellinghouse (lance@markv.com)
Mon, 10 May 93 9:35:45 PDT

["> " is Guido, "> >" is Lance Ellinghouse, "> > >" is Rob Hegt:]
>
> > > I can think of some reasons why this is a good idea, but also why I
> > > would personally not make this choice:
> > >
> > > - as far as I can see there is not much support for Motif other than as
> > > a widget set on top of X11
> >
> > Incorrect. Almost every PC X-windows package supports Motif, almost every
> > UNIX platforms supports Motif, Even Mac-X supports Motif.. Remember,
> > once the application is compiled and linked with Motif libraries,
> > the Widget set is INDEPENDENT of the supplied X-windows system since
> > everything folds down to Xlib. The server does not have to have
> > Motif on it at all..
>
> Hmm, are you implying that there are PC X-windows packages that allow
> *clients* to run under DOS or Windows? All I know if in this area are
> packages that are usable as an X server, allowing you to run X clients
> remotely on a UNIX machine with their windows on your PC. But what
> Rob is worried about is that he won't be able to write portable
> *clients* -- if they use Motif they will have to run an a UNIX box.
> Or have I missed something? (Quite possible, I don't follow all the
> X-related market news any more...)

DeskView/X allows you to compile X *CLIENTS* under
DOS that talk X. They have Motif libraries also. There are
also a couple others that i have heard about but their names don't
jump out at me (since I don't deal with DOS at all..).

> > Motif is more standard then STDWIN. People like the look and feel of
> > Motif. The first time I ran a STDWIN program, I thought it looked
> > like a toy. Put a nice Motif look to it and it can become a product.
>
> One thing I'm thinking of is to create a STDWIN port that uses Motif
> instead of bare Xlib underneath. It may even be possible to do this
> entirely in Python, once my Motif/Xt port has sufficient Xlib
> functionality (currently it has none). This would help Rob as well:
> he can continue to use STDWIN for "toy" apps on his Mac or PC, but on
> UNIX boxes his apps will follow the Motif style.
>
> (To make one thing clear: I don't really plan to discontinue STDWIN,
> but I don't want to make additions to it either, sice the audience is
> really too small. Had there been a Windows port two years ago, the
> situation might have been different... Sigh.)

This is the way that I see things.. STDWIN is still there and people
can make inprovements as people need... MotifWIN comes into being
and people make improvements as people need. Both have their uses.
People programming in Python can choose which to program against
by "import"'ing the one they want. There is no need for one to REPLACE
the other.

Lance Ellinghouse
lance@markv.com