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In article <671@tci.bell-atl.com>, kempf@tci.bell-atl.com (Cory Kempf) writes:
> keith@startrek.eng.ohio-state.edu (Keith M Boyer) writes:
> 
> >						 "I think we should choose
> >one set of windowing tools and put them on all our machines. Why don't you 
> >and the others discuss this and let me know which." 
> [...]
> >			 So, Bob, Amanda, anyone. Do you have pointers
> >to a real comparison of the choices, both from a technical and political
> >(which one will survive) point of view on where to place our emphasis.


Far be it for me to come to the aid of our competition, however a few words
of truth must be said on behalf of Motif, and HP in particular.  Relevant to
another article in which the respondant states market share percentages, I
don't see at all what bearing that has on selecting a good user interface.

Now, I have used (and programmed in) OSF's Motif and (AT&T's & Sun's) OpenLook
products for some time now.  Both offer attractive features.  Both are based
on a click-to-type interface, probably because both are based technology similar
to the MacIntosh (et al Xerox PARC's stuff from the early 70's.)

My own personal feeling, and this is NOT my company's official position, I
currently prefer Motif, for several reasons (mostly personal).  I believe that
Motif is more familiar to most users than OpenLook is (and ever will be).  
Consider this:  Motif is loosley based on MS-Windows, which is purported to have
an installed distribution of 4 million plus users.  This is 3 million greater
than all of the installed UNIX sites the world over.  Add to that the growing
number of OS/2 Presentation Mgr. installations and the 4 million number rapidly
approaches 5 million.  Of the installed UNIX base, less than 10% of those 
systems are currently running X environments.  [Granted, 1 UNIX system supports
several - sometimes even hundreds - of users, as opposed to 1 DOS user per PC,
however, I doubt seriously that there are anywhere near 4 million X window
users in existance.]

What all of this leads up to is that there are currently more people already
familiar with the MS-Windows/PM/Motif style of windows environments than the
OpenLook environment; even though they are fundamentally similar.  (We didn't
even mention all of the MacIntosh users in existance.)

I did extensive studies on this topic for J.P. Morgan & Co., Dun & Bradstreet,
as well as within AT&T.  The news is not easy to take, but the truth is the
truth.  Sun Microsystems has only recently begun to find its way back into my
good graces.  My experience with them has left me to believe they had a serious
quality control problem with both hardware and software.  They also have
adopted a habit of announcing vaporware several months before a real product
is available.  HP, on the other hand, announces products that are reliable as
well as real, at the time of announcement.

I have not had any negative experience with Motif, or HP (hardware or software).

Generally, I find that HP is a bit slow in announcements, but when they do
come, they are usually REAL and RELIABLE.

Finally, it is also my personal opinion that the existing windowing technology
is archane; the software technology is still in the stone age by comparison
with the hardware technology.  User Interfaces in general are clumsy and still
in need of further development before anyone should attempt to set a standard.

Most every interface is still based on the Desktop Metaphor.  This needs to be
expanded to other interface metaphors which are more generally acceptable
by users who may not be computer literate.  Animated user interfaces will play
a very important role in the future development of windowing technologies.

Summary:

If what you term "standard" means what everyone else is doing; then the trend
seems to be Motif, based on the programming demands in the job market in the
NorthEast area.  "Standard" is a relative term; standard for who?  You may set
your own standard.  Traditionally, standards are set by the demands of the
majority creating the demand, not by committee as some would have us think.
No committee sat down and officially declared MS-Windows a standard on the PC,
yet it is generally accepted as the defacto standard for windowing systems and
graphical user interfaces in the DOS world.  

I believe that there is currently enough room for both OpenLook [a really fine
product in its own right] and Motif.  Neither is a standard; we are talking
less than 60,000 end users in the entire world!  When one or the other of these
interfaces makes its way to other established markets [such as DOS] in a big
way, then it may very well be considered a standard.  BTW, to be fair to 
OpenLook, I recently saw Sun give a demonstration of the NEW OpenLook GUI
which incorporates a really neat 3D look that surpasses even Motif.

Hope this helps -- please no flames -- I take criticism very poorly.

Steve
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