Conference bulova::decw_jan-89_to_nov-90

    Bobby, walk on over.  I have a tablet (VSXXX-AB)
    
    To those of you who can't walk over, the tablet works with SDC
    DECwindows, at least with the puck.  I don't know about the pen because
    my pen may be broken.
    
    Of course, the puck is awkward for mousing around.  Except for some
    highly specialized applications, I would never plug in the table/puck
    combination.

    
    There is tablet support and then there is tablet support...
    
    Both DECwindows and UIS support the tablet as a "mouse".  That is,
    you can plug in the tablet and it works exactly like a mouse was
    plugged in.
    
    However, only UIS currently provides support for the tablet in
    DIGITIZING mode.  Since it isn't uncommon for tablets to have 2,
    3 or even 4x the resolution of the display - you *need* a specialized
    mode to take advantage of the tablet.
    
    My understanding is that for DECwindows to directly support a
    digitizing mode, a extension in required to X11.  Until then you
    can buy third party RS232 tablets and connect them to a normal
    serial line and write your own software for it... many third
    party vendors have such software anyway.
    
    
    

    Actually, I don't think this quite works on UWS V2.0 and a VS2.
    The tablet plugs into the mouse plug on the back of the monitor
    but the qvss driver won't enable the mouse plugged in there nor
    I would imagine the tablet. So until (unless?) that is fixed you'd
    better do it on a qdss based platform (GPX, or VS2000,...)

    - Scott
    

    I used a tablet to draw a picture with the pen.  It was a bit easier
    that using the mouse because I'm used to drawing with a pencil.
    
    Sean

    
    I've heard creating artwork with a mouse described as about the same
    experience as drawing with a boxing glove on... and I agree with
    that observation.
    
    

    Boxing Gloves?? I would liken drawing with a mouse more similar to
    doing water color painting with a fire hose at 500 PSI. Not very
    delicate.

    Mice are fine if you have no other choice, but not a serious graphics
    development device.

								Jens

    
    I am working with a CMP who is converting to DECwindows on VMS,
    but looking forward to a conversion to Ultrix, and therefore trying
    to write very portable code.  Right now, this vendor supports _only_
    Digital platforms, so it is important to work with them to resolve
    problems.
     
    The stopper here seems to be support for a 16 button digitizer tablet.
    If they have to write a device driver for VMS, they will then have to 
    write a driver for Ultrix, and any other future machines.
    
    Is there any way around writing a device driver when using a large
    digitizer with X?  We have toyed with the idea of grabbing events
    in a terminal window, and trying to get the window manager to deal
    with them, but no luck so far.
    
    Any suggestions or pointers would be appreciated.
    
    Sharon 

    re: .4 and others
    
    My experience is that the tablet does not have a 1:1 aspect ratio; or
    at least by the time the data gets to the screen it doesn't. Trace a
    square on the tablet; you get a rectangle on the screen. How do you
    work around this problem?
    
    I know under UIS there was a hack program called "ZAPTAB" or something,
    that would poke the scaling in the driver such that it appears to come
    out 1:1
    
    Any such supported or unsupported way to do this under DECwindows? Any
    of the graphics editors (RAGS, DECpaint, etc) aren't very useful if the
    stylus and/or puck don't provide a consistent aspect ratio.
    
    Help?

    
    I haven't tried it, but I think if you locate the UCB for the
    mouse/tablet device (IM) and get the input device information
    block (DWI) at UCB$L_DECW_I_DWI(ucb) and then get the
    DWI$F_PTR_TABLET_XRATIO(dwi) DWI$F_PTR_TABLET_YRATIO(dwi) you'll
    have the factors that it uses to normalize the data.  If you look
    in INDRIVER you'll find the routine that does the initial computation.
    Look in the driver manual in the DECwindows kit, hopefully there is
    an explanation there.
    
    You'll (of course) need change mode to kernel, and you'll probably
    want to do all the nice synchronization :-)
    
    _Fred (who wrote ZAPTAB)

    re: .2
    
    It was mentioned that Digitizing Tablets on DECwindows will not work
    until there is an extension on X11.  Are there any plans to add the
    extension?  Will DECwindows support this?  Also, in the interim, it was
    mentioned that 3rd party software exists that will enable you to plug
    the tablet to RS232 connection.  Any idea/hints as to who these CMPs
    may be?
    
    Much Thanks.
    
    /Mehran 

    Well, it's not really that they don't work.  It is that they work like
    a mouse with the tablet on.  That is, the whole tablet maps to the
    whole screen.  Often people would like to map the whole tablet to a
    smaller drawing area on the screen.  That is what there is no X
    protocol support for.  I don't know of anyone working on such an
    extension, but it is possible...it is a big world.
    
    Burns

>    a mouse with the tablet on.  That is, the whole tablet maps to the
>    whole screen.

    Can we get the same result on SPX ?

    Morita

In DECwindows, the input devices are completely independent of the 
graphics output devices.  Therefore, the answer doesn't change whether
you have a GPX or an SPX.