Conference bulova::decw_jan-89_to_nov-90

    DXDIFF was talked about in a recent article in MIPS (not about the
    specific MIPS chip, but a new magazine about high performance
    workstations).  They mentioned several bugs in DXDIFF, but the
    picture I saw in the magazine looked OK.  However, this doesn't
    give you much more than DIFF/PARELLEL or CMS DIFF/PARELLEL.
    
    				-John

    
    Bugs .... Bugs ... what Bugs?????
    
    Hi, O.K I admit it .. I wrote dxdiff .... I'd be interested to see
    this article if someone could send me a copy!
    
    Dxdiff on VMS, H'mm I certainly dont plan this, since dxdiff actually
    uses several UNIX tools to create its output ..... but Jake Vannoy
    and Ken Alden took copies of the source to try and port it but I
    dont know how they got on with that ....
    
    I'm currently tidying up a version that both adheres to the style
    guide better and provides you with facilities to merge differences
    creating a new file ..... if anyones interested mail me!
    
    Rgds
    
    Larry Cable,
    
    OSCR-Europe.
    
    
    P.S
    
    Sorry about the bugs ... hey doesnt everyone have them!
    
    

    Hi,
    	I wrote one diff tool that uses CMS to creates differences.
    (Actually you can write your own diff. generator. The interface Spec. 
    is given)
    	The tool basically uses CMS to generate differences and allows you
    to see differences using VT split screen. Allowing you to do Find next
    diff, find prev diff etc. See TOOLSHED notes file, tool name is VDIFF.
    
    I am also working on a version which uses DECwindows. It's been pushed
    aside, because of my current project however if there is sufficient
    interest I will give it a go..
    
    Robert

Don't hold your breath waiting for me to port it folks.  In a weak moment,
I thought I might have some spare time.

jake

    
    Ah Such is life Jake ......
    
    I dont think it should be too much work ... all the really needs doing
    is pulling out the back end parser and replacing it with something
    that creates the diff info ......
    
    Well I'm off to SUN shortly to write YAPWS (Yet Another Proprietary
    Widget Set!) so its down to you guys .....
    
    sorry for the hacks .....
    
    Rgds
    
    Larry.
    
    

    And just when I thought I'd have time to do it, I get swamped.
    

  There's a batch job that our managers run to monitor these
conferences. Anytime it detects someone saying "I'll do it" it notifies
"Da Boss", who turns up the heat.

"Whaddya mean you don't have time for this, weren't you going to port dxdiff?"

   Just kidding, I hope :-)

.1) The value over DIFF/PARALLEL is the surrounding context.  Differences
shown out of context are sometimes difficult to comprehend.

>    I think this would be great under VMS, too.

You might want to know that DEC/Test Manager (DTM) V3.1 on VMS, in it's
DECwindows testing methodology, captures screen images and then compares
benchmark images with result images produced in a later test run.  As part
of DTM, we provide a tool to review the differences between these images.
The images are displayed side by side in separate windows with scroll and
pan of the images provided. We provide an outboard dialog box that allows
display of OR and XOR of the two images in one of the windows to show the
differences between the images.

The images that we capture and then display to show differences are stored
by DTM in ddif image format and can be imported into programs such as
DECpaint, etc.

As part of V3.1, we will be providing an image masking capability.  With a
special editor provided by DTM, the user will be able to display benchmark
screen images and mark off rectangular areas of the image that will be
ignored when we compare DTM benchmark images with DTM result images.  This
will allow the user, to when comparing test results, to mask out run dependent
information in similar images ( such as masking out a clock display, etc. ).


Regards,

George Fullerton
DEC/Test Manager Project Leader

    -1. George,
    	that would be great. I have few requests.. In the difference review
    	tool add the ability to "go to next difference", "go to prev. diff"
    	"go to nth difference" "Search" etc. Since you have it in ddif
    	i don't know how easy it will be.
    		2 years ago when we started using DTM in our group we wrote
    	the VDIFF program that i mentioned in previous note. We wrote that
    	program to view the differences generated by the DTM tool (CMS/DIFF).
    	I have the sources for the dxdiff program talked earlier. I was
    	going modify it to run on VMS but if your tool can do what i said
    	in the first paragraph then it would be better.

    Robert

    		
    

It's been a year.  Is there a dxdiff equivalent available for VMS?

Curious (and hopeful),

- dave