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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

2957.0. "Basic DECwindows questions/dist. application" by OTOO01::POND () Tue Jun 19 1990 17:13

Hi there,

I have a customer who has had no exposure to the DECwindows environment,
and I have not had any hands-on experience myself yet either.  Please excuse
my questions if they seem naive then.  Also, if this is not the right place
to post this inquiry, let me know.

This customer has basically three areas of interest:  a) installed third 
party software, including MAXCIM and some other big applications;  
b) home-grown applications all developed using POWERHOUSE (from Cognos);
c) potential home-grown or puchased distributed application for logging
service/warranty information from remote sites (there is a perception that
this application will require pull down menus, icons, etc.).

Questions:

a)  How does DECwindows affect current software development environment,
    how does it affect use of POWERHOUSE?  
b)  How does it affect current use of character based dumb terminals in
    this software development environment?
c)  What is the hardware ramification of having remote sites using a 
    DECwindows application, accessing a central host?  What would the
    proper configuration be for such a scenario (multiple service sites
    scattered geographically)?
d)  What performance problems/hardware ramifications would there be if
    a screen had multiple windows from geographically dispersed locations?
e)  How can I equate in simple terms their familiar FMS environment with
    the window environment (is their a DEC piece of literature on this)?

Any help would be mucho appreciated.
Thanks,
Jim Pond @OTO
Software Services Ottawa
OTOO01::POND
T.RTitleUserPersonal
Name		DateLines
2957.1Some helpOSLACT::OLAVDo it in parallel!Thu Jun 21 1990 05:3447
> a)  How does DECwindows affect current software development environment,
>     how does it affect use of POWERHOUSE?

I don't understand what you mean by this question.

DECwindows gives you:

- The ability to run multiple character cell based applications in different
  DECterm windows on the same screen simultaneously.

- The ability to run applications using X11 graphics (DECwindows applications)

- A software development toolkit for creating X11 applications.

DECwindows gives you a whole lot of new functionality and does not neccessarily
affect the current environment/applications.

> b)  How does it affect current use of character based dumb terminals in
>     this software development environment?

Not at all.

> c)  What is the hardware ramification of having remote sites using a 
>     DECwindows application, accessing a central host?  What would the
>     proper configuration be for such a scenario (multiple service sites
>     scattered geographically)?

The best aproach to distributed applications is to develop the application
according to the client/server model. The client part of the application will
be running at a machine (workstation) at the remote site and communicate with
the server part of the application at the central site. The client will run all
do all the graphics locally. Do *not* use the X11 capibility to display graphics
over the network!

> d)  What performance problems/hardware ramifications would there be if
>     a screen had multiple windows from geographically dispersed locations?

Don't run graphics over a wide area network! Use the client/server model
(task-to-task).

> e)  How can I equate in simple terms their familiar FMS environment with
>     the window environment (is their a DEC piece of literature on this)?

Take a look at applications using windows! Also DECforms (FMS replacement with
some DECwindows integration) should be something to look at.

Olav
2957.2OTOO01::PONDMon Jun 25 1990 11:0711
    Olav,
    thanks for the information.  Since I put this note in, I've read
    the 'DECwindows architecture' book, which is excellent, so a lot
    of this stuff is quite a bit clearer.
    
    Sorry for the ambiguity of the Powerhouse thing.  What I was looking
    for was can you build a Powerhouse application with a DECwindows
    interface, and I've learned that no, you can't.
    
    Thanks again,
    Jim
2957.3Also to prevent any missunderstanding.IO::MCCARTNEYJames T. McCartney III - DTN 381-2244 ZK02-2/N24Mon Jun 25 1990 19:3816

DECforms currently does not offer a DECwindows interface. We provide significant
improvement over FMS and TDMS capabilities on Character Cell terminals today.

We are designing and developing a DECwindows/Motif compliant interface for
release sometime in the future. Our V1.3 effort, currently underway, will not
provide a DECwindows interface - although it will be on Ultrix.

When we do deliver the DECwindows/Motif compliant DECforms implementation, it
will be possible to develop traditional "forms applications" but also use many
(if not all) of the artifacts in the Motif toolkit (sliders, push buttons, menus
and etc.) -- unfortunately, we're not there today.

James McCartney
DECforms Development