From: Brandon S. Allbery (bsa@kf8nh.wariat.org)
Date: 04/01/93


From: bsa@kf8nh.wariat.org (Brandon S. Allbery)
Subject: Re: Linux and Graphical User Interface
Date: Thu, 1 Apr 1993 17:10:35 GMT

In article <1993Mar30.042506.7290@uc.msc.edu> mfrankow@hamline.edu (Mike Frankowski) writes:
>Mark Kovarski (kovarski@zooid.guild.org) wrote:
>: My last question is, from what I understand, Linux is a text based Unix
>: (correct me if I am wrong). Are there any add-on programs that will
>: make it graphical. For example, for AIX there is AIXwindows Environment/6000.
>: Anything like that for Linux?
>
>Linux has XFree86 v1.2 right now, with 2.0 being worked on. It is my under-
>standing that it is a X11R5 server implementation for the x86 boxes

It also has Xview 3.0, Sun's OPEN LOOK (RIP) implementation. Which raises an
interesting question: now that even Sun has caved in to Motif in the name of
unity against NT, where the heck are we going to find a halfway decent free
GUI? ("Halfway" so I can exclude Xaw but barely manage to include Motif...)
(It also raises the possibility that the OSF crowd will finally quit making
Motif a gee-whizzy to pit against OPEN LOOK and start concentrating on making
it less distracting. Not to mention replacing those Escher-esque radio
buttons with something you can actually figure out by looking at them instead
of having to memorize which corner's drop shadow indicates what its state
is.... If the window frames ever stop being more of an eye-grabber than the
window contents I'll be a lot happier about Motif.)

++Brandon

-- 
Brandon S. Allbery                                       bsa@kf8nh.wariat.org

It's not too late to turn back from the "Gates" of Hell... Linux. The FREE 32-bit operating system, available NOW.