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Conference bulova::decw_jan-89_to_nov-90

Title:	DECWINDOWS 26-JAN-89 to 29-NOV-90
Notice:	See 1639.0 for VMS V5.3 kit; 2043.0 for 5.4 IFT kit
Moderator:	STAR::VATNE

Created:	Mon Oct 30 1989
Last Modified:	Mon Dec 31 1990
Last Successful Update:	Fri Jun 06 1997
Number of topics:	3726
Total number of notes:	19516

2038.0. "X-Window/DECwindow Comparison" by MAIL::HERSHBERGER () Mon Jan 15 1990 10:21

    I need a general description of the differences between DECwindows
    and X-Windows.  My customer claims that DECwindows is not at all
    compatible with X-Windows while Sun's OpenLook is closer to the
    X-11 standard and that is one of the reasons that 3rd-Party S/W
    is written to the Sun platform first (Sparcstation).
    
    I understand that the standards are evolving, but is DECwindows
    so different from X-11?  
    
    A Salesman In Need of Ammunition,
    Todd Hershberger
    (316)832-7035

T.R	Title	User	Personal Name	Date	Lines
2038.1	DECwindows IS X Windows!	PSW::WINALSKI	Careful with that VAX, Eugene	`Mon Jan 15 1990 22:24`	45
	> My customer claims that DECwindows is not at all > compatible with X-Windows while Sun's OpenLook is closer to the > X-11 standard and that is one of the reasons that 3rd-Party S/W > is written to the Sun platform first (Sparcstation). Absolutely not true. DECwindows contains the following components: X11 Server for our workstation hardware Xlib (X11 client) Xlib bindings compatible with the VMS Common Language Environment (so that you can call the routines from langauges other than C) XToolkit Intrinsics XUI Toolkit widgets, window manager and User Interface Language compiler Out-of-the-box applications such as Calendar, Cardfiler, Mail, Notepad editor, Bookreader Asterisks indicate stuff not available from other vendors. Our Xlib and X11 server are fully compliant with X11R3 (the latest official release of X11; X11R4 is available, but it is in beta test). Changes from the vanilla MIT code were made to accomodate our hardware and to increase performance. DECwindows has one of the fastest X servers available anywhere. The DECwindows V1 (VMS V5.0-V5.2) XToolkit Intrinsics were enhanced X11R2, and varied somewhat from X11R3. I think these minor differences have been fixed in DECwindows V2 (VMS V5.3), and we are now fully X11R3 compliant in the Intrinsics area. The XUI Toolkit is a set of widgets that implement the DECwindows look and feel. The programming interface for this Toolkit was accepted by the Open Software Foundation, along with the HP/Microsoft submission, as the basis for OSF/Motif, the OSF's standard in the X Windows Toolkit area. So DECwindows IS* X Windows. It is merely our name for our X Windows offering. Contrast this with Open Look, which is SUN's proprietary windowing system, onto which they have grafted (poorly, from what I've heard) X Windows support. Some third-party software is written to SUN workstation platforms first, but it is NOT because DECwindows isn't a proper X Windows environment. --PSW
2038.2	X11R4 is officially out	MIPSBX::thomas	The Code Warrior	`Mon Jan 15 1990 22:29`	0
2038.3		4GL::VANNOY	Jake VanNoy	`Tue Jan 16 1990 08:15`	11
	Sun's XView toolkit is not based on the X toolkit (or Xt) intrinsics layer. We are more compatible with the MIT specifications in this area. X11 protcol, Xlib and Xt are a part of a soon-to-approved FIPS for federal government purchases of workstations. We're also shipping V2 of DECwindows, Sun has just barely scaped out V1. Talk to the customer about product maturity. The plan currently is to release an X11R4 compliant version of Motif as a layered product as quickly as we can turn around the V1.1 release from OSF.