Need information on SunView 2.0 and compatibility

[hound!hankg at att.att.com]

In reply to Chuck's posting:

>Unfortunately, I think that Sun View applications will not run under the
>X11/NeWS server without being recompiled as View 2 applications.  I am
>seriously considering creating an X toolkit that is identical to Sun View,
>so I can seamlessly port my tools to X11/NeWS.  Anyone out there have such
>a beast?...

1')  The conversion of SunView to X11/NeWS is a nice idea but as you
implied, it could take awhile to develop.  From what I can see, there is a
current preference toward development in X, because of portability.
"Widget" editors might save time in developing "XView", but I know little
at this time about various X packages available.

>2) Several times during the SUG Open Look seminar, when asked why a
>certain feature was or wasn't included, the answer was based upon
>"psychological reasons" or attempts to "reduce mouse motion".  So,
>I asked Hoeber exactly what cognitive psychological analysis Sun
>had done to measure the interface.  The reply: none. 

2')  This may or may not be totally true.  The group that I work as system
administrator and developer for is "User Interface & Quality Planning".
These guys are PhD's in Behavioral Sciences and Psychology, and have had
some involvement/discussions with Sun over user interface issues.  I have
not seen any actual "Candid Camera" type testing of Open Look going on
here, but there is a proposal in the works for us to do "usability
testing" on Open Look in 1989.

Also....

I don't use a Mac much either, and don't use Presentation Mngr.  I had the
impression that in Open Look Sun is reducing the functionality of their
3-button mouse to agree with a Mac or HP system mouse, and this was not a
good impression.  I guess no one likes having their semi-automatic usage
responses recoded.

Open Look's menus with large buttons spaced rather far apart sort of irks
me.  The stacked button's shading line is not as easy to determine as the
arrow used in current stacked menus.  

Finally...

This concept of setting a User Interface standard "look and feel" perhaps
is going too far.  There are essential parts of cars that look and feel
similar, but everyone enjoys various design changes and flairs.
Personally, I would not want to be the UberMan who says, "This is the best
way to look and feel."   Will Open Look be able to remain truly open, or
will we be locked in and flogged into Open Look?

Hank Grebe
Sun System Administrator, User Interface & Quality Planning 
AT&T Bell Labs
Holmdel, NJ  07733
(201) 949-2549
..!att!hound!hankg