From: fgreco@shearson.com (Frank Greco)
Newsgroups: comp.windows.open-look
Subject: SunSoft Windows Positioning
Date: 12 Nov 92 20:53:25 GMT
Distribution: world

>XView is alive and well! Certain technical enhancements, detailed
 ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
	This is an embarrassing statement in light of what is
	about to be said.

>below, and sustaining engineering effort will continue, for the
>foreseeable future.  Software developers will be able to continue to
>develop, compile and run XView applications on the Solaris 2.x platform
>into the foreseeable future. The principal caveat is that only limited
                              ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
>new functionalities and additional features will appear in XView after
 ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
>Solaris 2.2. Software developers will still be able to continue
 ^^^^^^^^^^^
>application development and distribution of XView-based applications
>even after this transpires. However, to make effective use of many
>technical enhancements, developers are strongly encouraged to use OLIT
>for new applications development.

	This is what's known as talking out of both sides of one's
	mouth.  How the heck SunSoft can say XView is alive and well
	when no new features will be added after the 1Q93 release
	of Solaris 2.2?   What manager in their right mind would
	choose XView when *SunSoft* announces that it is a dead end.

	Would anyone buy a new workstation if the current processor is
	incompatible with new, future ones?  Should the PC community
	buy 286 machines when new software is only for the 386 and
	better?  Should the average consumer buy a stereo that has been
	discontinued?

>FUTURE SUPPORT AND PLANS FOR XVIEW
>----------------------------------

>Q1. Is XView still supported by SunSoft?
>A1. Yes, SunSoft supports XView and will continue sustaining
>    engineering effort for the foreseeable future.

	presumably *only* bug fixes after 1Q93.  No threaded notifier,
	no rewrite of the panel, no new additional panel items, no
	adoption of slingshot "technology", no formal C++ interface.

>Q4. When will XView be EOLed?
>A4. There are no EOL plans for XView, nor are we considering it
>    in the foreseeable future.

	Hell, once you say there will be limited new functionality
	after 2.2, that *is* the EOL.

	Why didn't SunSoft let us, the *LOYAL* XView developer
	community, know of at least some notion that it was even
	thinking of doing this?  This is something that should have
	been told to us during, say, the Sun User Group Conference or a
	Usenix conference or the SunSoft Developer Conference or a
	Sunergy conference.

	This is ill-planned.  This is not how one migrates a user
	community.

>Q7. Should I rewrite my application in OLIT?
>A7. No, we are not recommending rewriting existing XView applications in
>    OLIT.  However, we are strongly recommending using OLIT for developing
>    NEW applications.  Also, we strongly recommend use of OpenWindows
>    Developer's Guide for any GUI development.  Doing so allows quick
>    development and in addition enables smooth migration between OPEN LOOK
>    toolkits should one choose to migrate to OLIT in order to take advantage
>    of future enhancements.

	I guess we're handing over the reigns to Bill Gates aren't we.

	I would never recommend programming with an Xt-intrinsics based
	toolkit to anyone that is developing a commercial product or
	any other substantial application.

	In-house programmers want ease-of-programming.  VAR's want a
	cross-platform toolkit.  OLIT gives you neither.

>I sincerely hope this Windows Toolkits positioning statement
>and the role XView will play in future will reassure developers that 
>SunSoft is aware of the needs in the marketplace and will continue
>to strive in offering innovative technologies in a systematic manner.

	Its not the fact that XView is being discontinued (face it,
	that's what is being said here), its the confusing strategy.
	Its the same confusing windowing strategy that has saddled Sun
	for years.

	If one wants to foster belief in DOE, this is definitely
	not the way.

	Frank G.
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Newsgroups: comp.windows.open-look