Portability and windows (Re: Portability and the Ivory Tower (was Re: Book on Microsoft C))

[Peter da Silva]

In article <4255794d.b11a at falcon.engin.umich.edu>, ejd at caen.engin.umich.edu (Edward J Driscoll) writes:
> People who own Macs PAID for
> the specific features of that machine, and they expect the
> software they use to exploit them.  If you're willing to
> disregard a market of this size, you've got more money than
> I do!  

One day, I fervently hope, there will be a clean and elegant standard
for program interfaces to windowing systems. Something that does for
windows what the UNIX stdio package has done for terminals and stream
files.

Certainly the Mac programming environment isn't it. There is a STDWIN
out there, but it's more a lowest-common-denominator approach than a
clean new paradigm. Xwindows, of course, is a monstrosity. I've heard
that HP had a nice programmer interface... does anyone know anything
about it?

Object oriented languages have an advantage here, but something useful
for poor old 'C' would be nice.

[ push fantasy

	window = NewWindow();
	AddPane(window, TextPane, 20, 40);
	AddPane(window, ...
	...
	OpenWindow(window);
]
-- 
Peter da Silva, Xenix Support, Ferranti International Controls Corporation.

Business: uunet.uu.net!ficc!peter, peter at ficc.uu.net, +1 713 274 5180.
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