X-Mailer: ELM [version 2.3 PL11]
Newsgroups: comp.infosystems.gis
Date:         Thu, 20 Aug 1992 11:39:21 CDT
              <GIS-L@UBVM.BITNET>
From:         "Tim McGrath" <tmcgrath@TMCGDNELNC.CR.USGS.GOV>
Subject:      Re: GIS User interfaces
X-To:         GIS-L@ubvm.cc.buffalo.edu
              Jacobson" at Aug 20, 92 8:53 am

> >An application is just a certain order of modular functions.
>
> I disagree.  An application is what a user does with a GIS, so it is
> more than the functions that the system permits.  An application also
> includes frustration, exasperation, exhultation, and edification --
> the subjective qualities that cannot be translated into modules.
>
> But I like the description of the Khoros interface.  It's out of the
> Carnegie Mellon group, if I recall correctly...or please correct me.
>

Khoros is from the University of New Mexico.  I've appended some more
information about it.


Maybe I can rephrase my thoughts.  There's a difference between
method and application.  Determining the proper spatial methods needed
to reach a specific objective, or explore a specific dataset is what
leads to "frustration, exasperation, exhultation, and edification".  Once
a method has been determined, the functional components of the spatial
processing tasks are the application.  To repeat the application one just
needs to repeat the order of functions.  To test various methods one
needs to rearrange, add, or delete functions.  Each test or variation
of a method would be a different, albeit similar, application.  I
believe that here is where the problem lies.  Too many times we build
or acquire an application interface that is too restrictive to allow
minor, or even major, changes in method.  While what I really know about
Khoros and the Cantata interface is minimal, I can appreciate the
model it promotes.  The Cantata model is much less restrictive to
incorporating changes in method.

Tim


----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Tim McGrath                   | "Without Geography, where would you be?"
Geographer                    |            -- Andy Back
U.S. Geological Survey        |
Water Resources Division      |
Rm. 406, Federal Bldg.        |  Opinions are my own.
100 Centennial Mall, North    |
Lincoln, Nebraska 68508       |  Internet: tmcgrath@tmcgdnelnc.cr.usgs.GOV
----------------------------------------------------------------------------


     KHOROS  1.0 (Patch Level 3) RELEASE  ANNOUNCEMENT

INTRODUCTION

     Khoros is an integrated software development environ-
ment for information processing and visualization, based on
X11R4.  Khoros components include a visual programming
language, code generators for extending the visual language
and adding new application packages to the system, an
interactive user interface editor, an interactive image
display package, an extensive library of image processing,
numerical analysis and signal processing routines, and 2D/3D
plotting packages.

X Windows Applications

Animate - Interactive Image Sequence Display Tool
Cantata - Extensible Visual Programming Language
Concert - A system for distributed X user interfaces (groupware)
Editimage - Interactive Image Display & Manipulation Program
Xprism2 and Xprism3 - Comprehensive 2D and 3D Plotting Packages
Viewimage - A basic interactive program for surface rendering
Warpimage - An interactive program for registering and warping images

Data Processing Algorithms

     Khoros contains over 260 programs, in the following
categories: arithmetic, classification, color conversion,
data conversion, file format conversion, feature extraction,
frequency filtering, matrix algebra (LINPACK and EISPACK),
spatial filtering, morphology filtering, geometric manipula-
tion, histogram manipulation, statistics, signal generation,
linear operations, segmentation, spectral estimation, sub-
region, and transforms. Khoros supports the following file
formats: TIFF, pbm, BIG, DEM, DLG, ELAS, FITS, MATLAB, Sun
raster, TGA, and xbm.

User Interface Tools

Preview - Graphical User Interface Display Tool
Composer - Interactive Graphical User Interface Editor
Conductor - Code Generation Tool for a Graphical User Interface
Ghostwriter - Code Generation Tool for a Command Line User Interface
Source Configuration & Management - Tools to install and maintain a
                                    distributed source tree.


KHOROS DISTRIBUTION METHODS

1)  Anonymous FTP

Khoros is available via anonymous ftp from pprg.eece.unm.edu
(129.24.24.10).  Use your e-mail address as the password
(for example, ralph@whizbang.wmu.edu).  Once you have logged
in, cd to the "pub/khoros/release" directory and  get the
ascii file install.ftp.  This file will give you complete
instructions on how to get Khoros and install it on your
system.  To get this file, execute the following commands or
steps:

     a.   Use ftp to connect to pprg.eece.unm.edu.
          % ftp pprg.eece.unm.edu
               -or-
          % ftp 129.24.24.10

     b.   Use "anonymous" or "ftp" as the user name.
          Name (pprg.eece.unm.edu:login): anonymous
               -or-
          Name (pprg.eece.unm.edu:): ftp

     c.   Use your e-mail address as the password; please
          carefully use a valid e-mail address, as this ver-
          sion site logs all anonymous ftp's.
          Password (pprg.eece.unm.edu:user): {your valid e-
          mail address}
          331 Anonymous login ok, use your E-MAIL address as
          the password.
          230 Guest login ok, access restrictions apply.

     d.   Get the release notes for acquiring Khoros via
          anonymous ftp (note that "install.ftp" is the
          plain text file - both ".ms" and ".ps" files are
          available for those who would like them).
          ftp> cd /pub/khoros/release
          ftp> get install.ftp

 2)  Tape and Printed Documentation

     If you would like to have a tape and printed documenta-
tion sent to you, fill out the order form below (last page)
and include a $250.00 check or purchase order (payable to
UNM EECE Dept., in U.S. funds).  If you need additional
information or confirmation of your order, call the answer-
ing machine at 505-277-0806 and leave a message.

     All communication to the Khoros group should be via e-
mail.  If you have questions, comments or problems of a gen-
eral nature, then either mail the Khoros mailing list
(khoros@chama.eece.unm.edu), or post to the Khoros USENET
news group (comp.soft-sys.khoros).  To subscribe to the
mailing list, mail to khoros-request@chama.eece.unm.edu.
Once you have the system and want to report bugs, mail to
khoros-bugs@chama.eece.unm.edu.

KHOROS REQUIREMENTS AND LIMITATIONS

     To run Khoros, you must have a UNIX platform running
the X11R3, X11R4, X11R5, or OpenWindows servers. The Khoros
system consists of ~450,000 lines of C code;  you will need
a maximum of 120 Megabytes of storage for source, documenta-
tion and binaries.  To compile Khoros, the system requires
X11R4 (patch levels 1-18) or X11R5 client software from MIT
and an additional 50 Megabytes of storage.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
         Khoros 1.0, patch level 3 Compiles On These Machines
                   (MIT X unless otherwise noted)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Vendor     Name                       Configuration
--------+--------------------------+-------------------------------------------
Apollo  |  DN10000                 |  OS 10.3, Fortran 10.8, cc 6.8
        |                          |
CRAY    |  XMP, YMP, Cray 2        |  UNICOS 6.1
        |                          |
DEC     |  5000/3100               |  Ultrix 4.2, mips cc 2.0, DEC f77 V3.0-2
        |                          |
DEC     |  Vax 3600                |  Ultrix 4.1, cc1.37.1
        |                          |
HP      |  HP9000/*                |  HP-UX 7.05, HP-UX 8.05
        |                          |
IBM     |  RS/6000                 |  AIX v3.x
        |                          |
OMRON   |  Luna88k                 |  Mach 2.5, gcc 1.37, f77 1.8.5
        |                          |
MIPS    |  Magnum 3000             |  RISCOS 4.51, cc 2.11, f77 2.11, X 4.0
        |                          |
NeXT    |  68030,40                |  MACH 2.0, gcc 1.37, Absoft f77 2.0,
        |                          |  Pensoft X
        |                          |
SGI     |  All                     |  OS 3.3.2, OS 4.0, X11 1.2, f77 3.3
        |                          |
SUN     |  SPARCstations, SUN4/*   |  SUN OS 4.1.1, f77 1.3.1
        |                          |
SUN     |  SUN3/*                  |  SUN OS 4.1.1, f77 1.3.1, gcc 1.39
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

     The Khoros user community has ported Khoros to various
other platforms such as the Convex, the Sequent, Data Gen-
eral Aviion, MacII, and 386/486 machines. At this time,
these platforms are not directly supported by the Khoros
Group.

KHOROS CONSORTIUM

     If your organization is interested in distributing the
Khoros software system, and/or supporting further research
and development of software environments for data processing
and visualization please contact Tom Sauer at the address
below or e-mail consort@chama.eece.unm.edu.

                Tom Sauer, Khoros Consortium
   Department of EECE, Room 110, University of New Mexico
                   Albuquerque, NM 87131

=============================================================================
                    C U T  H E R E
=============================================================================

                           KHOROS
                          Room 110
                     Department of EECE
                  University of New Mexico
                   Albuquerque, NM 87131

        SHIP TO:

                 -----------------------------------------------------------

                 -----------------------------------------------------------

                 -----------------------------------------------------------

                 -----------------------------------------------------------

        PHONE NUMBER:

                 -----------------------------------------------------------

        E-MAIL ADDRESS:

                 -----------------------------------------------------------

        PURCHASE ORDER NUMBER:

                 -----------------------------------------------------------

        CREDIT CARD ORDERS -    Please include the type of credit card, your
                                credit card number, and its expiration date.
                                In order to process your order, we
                                need to have your full name (as it
                                appears on the card) and also a number
                                where we can reach you during the day.

           NAME (as it appears on credit card):

                 -----------------------------------------------------------

           CREDIT CARD NUMBER:

                 -----------------------------------------------------------

           EXPIRATION DATE and CARD TYPE:

                 -----------------------------------------------------------

        Media:  (Please circle one of the following types of media)

                1) DC600A cartridge tape
                2) DC6250 cartridge tape
                3) 9-track tape (1/2 inch, 1600bpi)
                4) 9-track tape (1/2 inch, 6250bpi)
                5) DAT 4mm tape

        Binaries: (If you would like a compiled version of Khoros,
                   please circle one of the following machine architectures)

                1) DEC MIPS (Ultrix 4.2)
                2) SUN3  (SunOS 4.1.1)
                3) SUN4, SPARCstation  (SunOS 4.1.1b)
                4) SGI (OS 4.0)
Comments: Gated by NETNEWS@AUVM.AMERICAN.EDU