Newsgroups: comp.sys.atari.st
Path: utzoo!utdoe!david
From: david@doe.utoronto.ca (David Megginson)
Subject: Re: Xlisp and windows
Message-ID: <1991Mar27.154016.8546@doe.utoronto.ca>
Summary: please use MiNT
Reply-To: david@doe.utoronto.ca (David Megginson)
Organization: Dictionary of Old English Project, University of Toronto
Distribution: comp
Date: Wed, 27 Mar 1991 15:40:16 GMT


In <ERICCO.91Mar26232949@sdaf1.ssl.berkeley.edu>, Eric C. Olson writes:
> I've started developing an object oriented window system for the
> Atari.  Has somebody already done this?  If so, what was your
> approach (and how can I get it)?  If not, perhaps you'll be amused
> at my attempt.
> 

Well, obviously you will want this system to be able to multi-task.
Instead of writing the code yourself, you might think about using
Eric Smith's MiNT, which adds BSD-type extensions to TOS. You can
re-compile XLISP with GCC and ES's MiNT library to use MiNT by default.
MiNT will make it easier to put BIOS i/o into windows, manage multiple
threads of the same program, etc. etc.

BTW, to try out your ideas, try using XLISP under MGR. MGR is a
windowing system where all graphics, window management etc. is done
with escape sequences, and it runs on the ST under MiNT (ie. you draw
circles, open and resize windows, pass messages, etc., the same way
that you turn inverse video on and off on the vt52!!). You could write
all of the MGR code IN XLISP first (just print the appropriate escape
sequences to the screen), and then hard-code it into C if you want to.
The advantages of using MGR are that you can concentrate on the high-
level logic of your project instead of the nitty-gritty details of getting
BIOS output into GEM windows, etc. Also, your XLISP code will be portable
to Unix or Mac machines running MGR (Minix may soon have MGR too), so
you are looking at a much larger potential user base.

It sounds like an excellent idea, and I hope that it works out for you.
You will need at least 2 megs to use MiNT and MGR, I should add.


-- 
////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
/  David Megginson                      david@doe.utoronto.ca          /
/  Centre for Medieval Studies          meggin@vm.epas.utoronto.ca     /
////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
