Graphics User Interface Tools

[Mike Gigante]

jit at SLIC.CELLBIO.DUKE.EDU (Jit Keong Tan) writes:


>I posted request for information for graphical user interface
>tools/prototyper/code generator and get a few people asking
>me if I have received any response yet, too bad the answer
>is NO.

>Could anyone from sgi please comment on this issue ?

>--------------------------------------------------------
>Jit Keong Tan     | internet: jit at slic.cellbio.duke.edu

I have also tried to push this one too. I personally regard it as
a major painm that there is no GL toolkit provided by SGI.

It means that anyone who wants to write interactive graphics programs
has to do work that could have been done once by SGI. This means the
hundreds/thousands/tens-of-thousands of people out there have to 
start off doing the same thing! A watste of time!

Also it means that there is no similarity b/n applications. Each developer
has to write their own tools to assist the implementation of GUIs,
and of course always different.

Sun had Sunview, the Mac has whatever it is called. Both vendors
benefit enormously by having having these toolkits available because
applications carry less development overhead and all the applications
had a similar look/feel. You don't end up with as many duds..

Anyhow, this seems like flogging a dead horse - I understand that SGI
have decided to use Motif as the toolkit for GL programs. I have some
reservations about this but until I learn more I will withhold judgement.

I still think that SGI should have let the user-interface toolkit project
continue through to completion instead of cancelling it in Sept.

If you are desperate for some kind of toolkit, you can look at the NASA
panel library. If your requirements are very simple, it is a win. It has
the disadvantage of having a US only distribution (although it *used* to
be freely available...). I personally have found it unsatisfactory but
 you may want to try it...

Mike Gigante,
RMIT Australia