From: nyne@hole19.csd.sgi.com Subject: EPUB: IRIS On-Line Vol 1 Issue 8 December 1993 IRIS-On-Line VOL 1 ISSUE 8 DECEMBER 2, 1993 TABLE OF CONTENTS PRESS RELEASES FROM SILICON GRAPHICS ==================================== 1. 200 MHz MIPS R4400 RISC MICROPROCESSOR UNVEILED AT COMDEX/FALL 2. SILICON GRAPHICS NAMES TWO NEW BOARD MEMBERS 3. KIRK LOEVNER JOINS SILICON GRAPHICS AS VICE PRESIDENT AND GENERAL MANAGER OF APPLICATIONS AND MARKETS 4. SILICON GRAPHICS ANNOUNCES AVAILABILITY OF CHALLENGEcomplib SCIENTIFIC MATH LIBRARY 5. SILICON GRAPHICS ANNOUNCES A TWO-FOR-ONE STOCK SPLIT 6. LOW COST, HIGH PERFORMANCE MICROPROCESSOR NOW SHIPPING; DESKTOP AND NOTEBOOK PCs DESIGNS DEMONSTRATED 7. SILICON GRAPHICS AND TANDEM COMPUTERS ENTER WORLDWIDE OEM RELATIONSHIP 8. SILICON GRAPHICS' FIRST DATABASE TPC PERFORMANCE NUMBER BREAKS INDUSTRY RECORD THIRD PARTY PRESS RELEASES ========================== 9. ANNOUNCING XROLODEX - 1.2 10. ANNOUNCING IE - 1.3.7 11. EXPRESSWARE NOW OFFERS XINET - MACINTOSH/UNIX CONNECTIVITY 12. QUORUM EQUAL - MICROSOFT WORD & EXCEL FOR SGI WORKSTATIONS 13. ANNOUNCING DRUID VERSION 2.0 14. PORTABLE GRAPHICS SHIPS NEW VERSION OF NPGL LIBRARY FOR X TERMINALS TECHNICAL ARTICLES AND REFERENCES ================================= 15. IRIS On-Line Archive FTP'able 16. USENET SGI FAQs AVAILABLE ON WORLD WIDE WEB To subscribe, send email to list-manager@sgi.com. The message should consist of the command "subscribe iris-on-line". Your return email address will be added to the subscription list. If you wish to receive IRIS On-Line at an address other than that from which you are sending your request, send email to iris-on-line-editor@sgi.com. Include your email address in the message. PRESS RELEASES FROM SILICON GRAPHICS ==================================== 1. 200 MHz MIPS R4400 RISC MICROPROCESSOR UNVEILED AT COMDEX/FALL Fastest Processor Running Windows NT in MIPS-Based PC On November 16, 1993, In a demonstration of advanced technology, MIPS Technologies, Inc. unveiled a version of its R4400 RISC microprocessor running at an internal clock speed of 200 megahertz (MHz). The processor is on display in a MIPS-based PC running the Windows NT operating system at Comdex/Fall 1993 in the MIPS Technologies booth (L-1492). The fastest MIPS R4400 presently available runs at 150 MHz and has been shown through application benchmarks and independent magazine reviews to provide the highest performance of commercially obtainable microprocessors for running Windows NT. A suite of benchmarks using 32-bit Windows NT applications and real-world data run on the fastest PCs commercially available show the MIPS R4400 running at 150 MHz has twice the performance of an Intel Pentium-based PC and 35 percent advantage over an Alpha-based system. "Our present R4400 running at 150 megahertz provides the highest level of delivered performance for real 32-bit applications on Windows NT," said Tom Whiteside, president of MIPS Technologies. "We will continue to push out the limits of technology by aggressively increasing the speed of our R4000 family of microprocessors and introducing our next generation of processors. The 200 megahertz R4400 currently being demonstrated is a good example of our technology direction." Windows NT was developed on the MIPS architecture. MIPS-based PCs are designed to run Windows NT optimally and offer the highest performance at prices comparable to 486-based PCs. MIPS-based PCs smoothly run existing MS-DOS and Microsoft Windows application software, but their power becomes especially apparent with 32-bit Windows NT applications. New 32-bit applications are now becoming available. MIPS Technologies, Inc. designs and supplies the world's most advanced RISC processor technology. The company tests, certifies and licenses its processor technology to its semiconductor partners which provide processors for the computer system and embedded control markets. MIPS microprocessors are used by a number of computer industry leaders, including Acer Technologies, Pyramid Technology, Siemens Nixdorf AG, Silicon Graphics, Inc., Sony Corporation, Tandem Computers Incorporated, NEC Technologies, Inc., NKK Corporation and Tektronix, Inc. MIPS RISC architecture components are available from Integrated Device Technology, Inc., LSI Logic Corporation, NEC Corporation, Siemens AG and Toshiba Corporation. MIPS Technologies, Inc. is a wholly owned subsidiary of Silicon Graphics, Inc. and is headquartered in Mountain View, Calif. For further information on MIPS microprocessors, designs or partners, please call the MIPS Dial-In Fast FAX service at 1-800-446-6477 in the U.S. or 415-688-4321 outside the U.S. - end - 2. SILICON GRAPHICS NAMES TWO NEW BOARD MEMBERS On November 16, 1993, Silicon Graphics, Inc. announced that Robert R. Bishop and Thomas A. Jermoluk have been elected to its Board of Directors. Bishop and Jermoluk, who have been with Silicon Graphics since 1986, were unanimously elected to the Board, expanding its membership to 13 directors. "Bob and Tom's demonstrated leadership in high-technology business management has played an integral role in structuring Silicon Graphics as the leading visual computer systems company," said Edward R. McCracken, president and CEO of Silicon Graphics. "We look forward to their expanded contribution as our company continues to address an array of worldwide computing needs in an ever-changing marketplace." Bishop, 51, is president of Silicon Graphics World Trade Corp., managing worldwide field activities including sales, service and distribution. Prior to joining Silicon Graphics in 1986, Bishop spent four years at Apollo Computer and 15 years at Digital Corporation in various international management roles. Bishop has a master's degree in computer science from New York University's Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences and a bachelor's degree from the University of Adelaide, Australia. Jermoluk, 36, is executive vice president and chief operating officer of Silicon Graphics, responsible for engineering, marketing and manufacturing the development of the company's entire range of computing systems. Additionally, he is responsible for research and development, finance and administration. Prior to joining Silicon Graphics, Jermoluk managed a variety of hardware and software development projects at Hewlett-Packard and Bell Laboratories. Jermoluk has a master's and a bachelor's degree in computer science from Virginia Tech. - end - 3. KIRK LOEVNER JOINS SILICON GRAPHICS AS VICE PRESIDENT AND GENERAL MANAGER OF APPLICATIONS AND MARKETS Former Apple Executive to Head Silicon Graphics Partner Program and Volume Markets Development Silicon Graphics, Inc. announced that Kirk M. Loevner, formerly vice president of Apple Computer's AppleSoft Products Group, will join the company as vice president and general manager of its Applications and Markets Division. Loevner, whobrings to Silicon Graphics ten years of marketing and general management experience with Apple, will report to Mike Ramsay, senior vice president of Silicon Graphics' Visual Systems Group. "We are extremely pleased to have Kirk on board," said Edward R. McCracken, president and chief executive officer of Silicon Graphics. "With our increasingly low-cost workstations such as the Indy(tm) system, the support of leading software applications is critical for meeting the needs of new and expanding markets. Kirk's marketing talents and expertise will accelerate Silicon Graphics' efforts to add strategic third-party software partners, explore new market opportunities and increase volume business." Over the past five years, Loevner has led Apple's efforts with third-party developers, bringing over 10,000 new software and hardware products to Apple(r) Macintosh(r) personal computers. In prior years, he directed product marketing for Apple USA, leading Apple's introduction of numerous products including the Apple Macintosh II, Apple Macintosh SE and the Apple Laserwriter(r) printer. Under his recent leadership as vice president of Apple's Developer Group, Apple's role with third- party developers expanded from that of a traditional provider of technical services to one of a full business partner. At the same time, Stephen G. Ursenbach will move from his position as vice president of applications and markets development to serve as vice president of customer services and industry marketing for Silicon Graphics' North American Field Organization. In his new position, Ursenbach will oversee systems support and development of key markets in the company's field organization. -end- 4. SILICON GRAPHICS ANNOUNCES AVAILABILITY OF CHALLENGEcomplib SCIENTIFIC MATH LIBRARY Libraries Optimized for High-End Symmetric Multiprocessing Systems Silicon Graphics, Inc. announced the availability of a comprehensive collection of high-performance, industry-standard mathematical libraries. The CHALLENGEcomplib(tm) Scientific Math Library provides C and Fortran programmers with access to a set of easy-to-use mathematical and numerical algorithms for use in scientific and technical computing. The library is available immediately and ships with a Fortran compiler, which is an optional product for Silicon Graphics' high-end systems. The CHALLENGEcomplib allows scientific and technical computing users to develop, optimize and convert application programs to Silicon Graphics' symmetric multiprocessing (SMP) CHALLENGE(tm) servers, POWER CHALLENGE(tm) supercomputing servers and Onyx(tm) graphics supercomputers. It consists of optimized, blocked and multi-threaded mathematical routines which extract optimal performance from cache-based hierarchical memory systems and allows users to effectively utilize the parallel processing capabilities of the SMP architecture. "The optimized parallel routines improve the performance and efficiency of applications, provide increased application throughput and reduce the time to solution," said Paul Koontz, director of marketing of Silicon Graphics' Supercomputing Systems Division. "This comprehensive selection of mathematical and scientific subprograms conforms to de-facto industry standard functional interfaces. This facilitates the porting of applications from traditional supercomputers and other UNIX(r) platforms to the leading price/performance products of the Silicon Graphics' family of SMP RISC systems." "The Fast Fourier transforms (FFT) routines in the Silicon Graphics math library are twice as fast as our portable Fortran FFT routines, which enabled us to significantly reduce the runtime of our 3D prestack depth migration program," said Dwight Sukup, senior research associate at Texaco, Inc. "Because the library routines themselves are tuned to make optimal use of the cache, we were able to achieve linear speed-up on our 3D migration benchmark." The CHALLENGEcomplib Library contains an extensive collection of industry standard libraries such as Basic Linear Algebra Subprograms (BLAS), Extended BLAS (Level 2 and Level 3) and LAPACK. Internally developed libraries which contain Fast Fourier Transforms and Convolution routines are also included, as well as select routines from robust libraries such as SCILIB(tm) from Cray Research and SLATEC(tm) from the Energy, Science and Technology Software Center. - end - 5. SILICON GRAPHICS ANNOUNCES A TWO-FOR-ONE STOCK SPLIT Silicon Graphics, Inc. announced that its board of directors has approved a two-for-one split of its common stock. All common stockholders of record as of November 30, 1993, shall be entitled to participate in this split. The stock split is payable by the declaration of a stock dividend on December 15, 1993, of one new share of common stock for each outstanding share of the Company's common stock. The stock split will increase the number of shares of common stock outstanding from approximately 67 million to 134 million. Edward R. McCracken, Silicon Graphics' president and chief executive officer said, "The stock split should benefit our stockholders and the Company by broadening our stockholder base and improving the liquidity of the market for the stock." -- end -- 6. LOW COST, HIGH PERFORMANCE MICROPROCESSOR NOW SHIPPING; DESKTOP AND NOTEBOOK PCs DESIGNS DEMONSTRATED MIPS R4200 Offers Pentium-Class Performance for Under One-Tenth the Price and Power Dissipation On November 16, 1993, MIPS Technologies, Inc. announced and demonstrated reference designs for systems manufacturers to build high-performance, cost-effective desktop and notebook personal computers based on the MIPS R4200(tm) 64-bit RISC microprocessor for the Microsoft Windows NT operating system. The R4200 provides similar performance to Intel's Pentium for under one-tenth the price and power dissipation. The R4200 is now shipping in sample quantities. R4200-based notebook and desktop computers are on display at Comdex in the MIPS Technologies booth (L-1492), with an additional notebook in the NEC Electronics booth (L-2636). The R4200 operates at a clock speed of 80 MHz with integer computational performance of 55 SPECint92. Priced at $80 in sample quantities, the R4200 is ideal for low cost, high-performance desktop and notebook PCs running Windows NT. The processor also supports the Unix operating system. A second version of the processor running at 100 MHz is scheduled for release in early in 1994, providing even higher performance but remaining a low-power consumption, under-$100 processor. The R4200 features advanced power management for use in "green" Energy Star-compliant computers and notebook computers designed for long battery life. At full power, the R4200 runs at only 1.5 watts. To save energy, in periods of low activity, the processor switches to reduced power mode. In this mode, the R4200 operates at one-quarter power. During longer periods of inactivity the processor "powers down." When reactivated, the "Instant-On" capability allows the system to restore the processor to its executing state quickly. The reference designs can enable manufacturers to readily build affordable PCs based on the R4200 which take full advantage of the processor's performance, low cost and low power requirements. There are four R4200 reference designs: a notebook designed for high-performance, a notebook emphasizing long battery life, a desktop designed for high-performance and a low cost desktop. These four reference designs complement the more than five existing reference designs for MIPS-based PCs. In addition to desktop and notebook PCs, the R4200 and derivative core products are ideally suited for use in hand-held and other consumer products as well as other embedded applications such as laser printer controllers, X-terminals and communications devices. "The low cost and high performance of the MIPS R4200 opens up new worlds of computers and consumer devices," said Tom Whiteside, president of MIPS Technologies. "With the R4200, companies can cost effectively deliver the power needed to take advantage of interactive multimedia or Windows NT applications." Windows NT was developed on the MIPS architecture, and MIPS-based PCs are designed to run Windows NT optimally and offer the highest performance at prices comparable to 486-based PCs. MIPS-based PCs smoothly run existing MS-DOS and Microsoft Windows application software, but their power becomes especially apparent with 32-bit Windows NT applications. New 32-bit applications are now becoming available. - end - 7. SILICON GRAPHICS AND TANDEM COMPUTERS ENTER WORLDWIDE OEM RELATIONSHIP Tandem to Distribute MIPS RISC-Based Challenge Servers and Indigo Workstation Family as Part of Strategic Product Lines On November 2, 1993, Silicon Graphics, Inc. announced that it has entered into a strategic Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) relationship with Tandem Computers Incorporated for the distribution of Silicon Graphics servers and workstation products. Tandem Computers intends to market Silicon Graphics' products worldwide as part of its own strategic product line. The two companies expect the agreement to be worth in excess of $100 million in sales for Silicon Graphics over the next two years. The agreement includes Silicon Graphics' symmetric multiprocessing (SMP) Challenge(tm) servers, which Tandem will market under its own label, and the Indigo(r) workstation product family. Silicon Graphics' products are based on the MIPS(r) RISC processor architecture, which Tandem has incorporated into its product lines for more than three years. "Silicon Graphics' strategy is to extend our powerful SMP server technology into commercial markets through strategic OEM relationships with companies such as Tandem," said Edward R. McCracken, president and CEO of Silicon Graphics. "Tandem's strength in commercial markets which require industry-leading performance will further establish Silicon Graphics' systems and the MIPS architecture as the standard for RISC-based processing in the workplace." "Tandem's strategic relationship with Silicon Graphics positions Tandem to take a leadership role in the commercial UNIX marketplace," said James G. Treybig, president and CEO of Tandem. "Our binary-compatible line of UNIX systems provides a broad range of price/ performance and availability choices that are very appealing to customers transitioning to open client/server distributed architectures." Tandem will distribute the highly scalable Challenge line, including the Challenge XL(tm) enterprise server, the Challenge L(tm) departmental deskside server and the Challenge M(tm) network resource server as its Integrity Network Resource (NR) servers: the NR/4436, NR/4412 and NR/4001. These products offer unmatched price/performance and are targeted at a variety of applications such as relational databases, network management and messaging for the financial and telecommunications markets. In conjunction with its new Integrity systems, Tandem will market the Indigo product family of desktop workstations as client systems to the commercial marketplace. Tandem Computers Incorporated is the leader in online transaction processing, fault tolerance and enterprise networks. The company, headquartered in Cupertino, California, manufactures, markets, and provides services and systems ranging from the desktop to the data center, as well as software and related products to deliver complete customer solutions. Tandem is a Fortune 500 company with offices worldwide. - end - 8. SILICON GRAPHICS' FIRST DATABASE TPC PERFORMANCE NUMBER BREAKS INDUSTRY RECORD Company Reports 1,786 Transactions Per Second on TPC-B Benchmark Using Oracle7 on Silicon Graphics CHALLENGE Server On November 9, 1993, Silicon Graphics, Inc. announced that it has broken industry records for database performance with its first TPC number. The company achieved 1,786 transactions per second (TPS) on the Transaction Processing Council TPC-B benchmark by running the Oracle7(tm) database software on a 28 processor CHALLENGE(tm) symmetric multiprocessing (SMP) server. This TPC-B number is the highest achieved to date on any massively parallel system, mainframe, large clustered configuration, SMP or uniprocessor system. The resulting TPC-B performance number achieved a cost of $1,605 per transaction, the best price/performance among high-end TPC-B results. "This incredible TPC performance number -- the first we have ever released -- is indicative of the flexibility and power of Silicon Graphics' CHALLENGE servers," said Thomas Jermoluk, executive vice president and chief operating officer of Silicon Graphics. "The CHALLENGE architecture can not only handle the fast transaction processing requirements of traditional databases, but also the increased demands of the more complex databases of the 1990s that manage multimedia or visual data." The CHALLENGE SMP architecture is a breakthrough in database server technology. The CHALLENGE server product line is optimized for database performance, providing the industry's fastest system bus of 1.2 GB per second, an industry leading I/O capacity of 320 MB per controller and up to eight-way interleaving of its expandable 2 GB of system memory. The CHALLENGE line is the only binary-compatible network resource server line that spans from entry-level uniprocessor systems to 36-processor enterprise-wide SMP systems. The highly scalable CHALLENGE product family includes the CHALLENGE XL enterprise system with up to 36 R4400(tm) MIPS(r) RISC processors for the highest levels of performance and expandability; the CHALLENGE L departmental system with up to 12 R4400 processors, offering price/performance leadership; and the CHALLENGE M single-processor workgroup server. Database engines can exploit many of the proven SMP performance and scalability capabilities available in Silicon Graphics' operating system, IRIX(tm), which is in its third generation as an SMP operating system. "This outstanding TPC-B result on Silicon Graphics' CHALLENGE servers once again demonstrates Oracle7's leadership in database performance," said Jerry Baker, senior vice president of Oracle's Product Line Division. "We are very excited about this excellent performance result and will continue to work with Silicon Graphics to optimize and enhance our respective products to provide the best price/performance solutions for our customers." "The scalable database performance and commercial features of the CHALLENGE product line make it a formidable entry into the database market," said Ross Bott, general manager of Silicon Graphics' Information Products Division. "Our strategy is to use indirect partners -- OEMs, systems integrators and value-added resellers -- to take the CHALLENGE servers into the commercial marketplace." CHALLENGE servers for the database market will be available through Silicon Graphics' OEMs, systems integrators and value-added resellers. These partners will provide turnkey solutions and integrated capabilities to meet the needs of the commercial marketplace. Tandem Computers Incorporated recently announced that it is expanding its binary compatible Integrity(r) product family which includes reselling CHALLENGE servers. - end - THIRD PARTY PRESS RELEASES ========================== 9. Announcing xrolodex - 1.2 xrolodex is a freeware Motif-based Rolodex(R) application. xrolodex has a menu system, as well as a control panel for frequently used commands. xrolodex provides: configurable, start-up directory mask for the file selection box; configurable delimiter sequence for rolodex entries (transparent to xrolodex); configurable row specifications for indexing and sorting; ASCII byte-stream rolodex file organization--can be processed by standard UNIX utilities and text editors. Availability: Freely distributable, download source code from UUNET: `ftp.uu.net:/vendor/spectro/xrolodex.tar.Z' Requires (to compile it): C/Motif/Xt/X libraries Contact Iris Computing Laboratories, The Spectro Group, Inc., 1219 Luisa Street, Suite 9, Santa Fe, NM 87501 USA. Phone: +1-505-988-2670, fax: +1-505-988-2489, email: support@spectro.com. - end - 10. Announcing ie - 1.3.7 Iris Computing Laboratories announces the latest release of its X Window System editor, ie. ie - 1.3.7 is a major upgrade that includes many enhancements. With ie's macro facility, users, including nonprogrammers, can design custom commands that automate repetitive tasks and customize their editing environment. ie supports macro design from an external file, as well as through its viewable, editable playback macro window. ie's playback macro facility allows users to design macros without referencing built-in functions by name. ie's larger (of two) search-and-replace facility now supports a "Locate Lines" capability, providing selection box-based navigation of every line matching the search pattern. Other enhancements with ie - 1.3.7 include pre- and post-filter processing, click-style menus, pending-delete functionality, a key information look-up facility, additional tab/blank translation capabilities, license manager usage statistics, and numerous small additions. Contact Iris Computing Laboratories, The Spectro Group, Inc., 1219 Luisa Street, Suite 9, Santa Fe, NM 87501 USA. Phone: +1-505-988-2670, fax: +1-505-988-2489, email: info@spectro.com. - end - 11. EXPRESSWARE NOW OFFERS XINET - MACINTOSH/UNIX CONNECTIVITY ExpressWare just announced two new products from XINET, K-AShare and K-Spool, providing additional flexibility in your Macintosh/UNIX environments. K-AShare is an AFP-compatible file server for SGI hosts. It allows an SGI workstation to act as an AppleShare server for Macintosh users. K-Spool software allows users of Apple Macintosh computers and SGI systems to share PostScript printers. It is a UNIX application which functions as a print server and PostScript filter for SGI and Macintosh users, allowing them flexibility in the printers they use. K-AShare Features: o K-AShare provides multiplatform compatibility. Macintoshes and SGI systems can share data and resources. o Macintosh computers use a SGI host as an AppleShare file server, providing increased performance and eliminating the need for a dedicated Apple server. o Mac users stay in their native environment. Files stored on the SGI server appear as familiar icons to Macintosh users. Transparent File Determination converts UNIX files to Macintosh application files -- automatically and transparently. o Files created by Macintosh applications like FrameMaker or Adobe Illustrator can be accessed on SGI systems running the same or other applications. o K-AShare runs entirely on the SGI host. Macintosh clients need no additional software. o K-AShare volumes can be backed up with standard UNIX tools. o Through K-AShare, Mac users can access mounted NFS file systems anywhere on the network. o Includes AppleTalk routing with support for multiple Ethernet interfaces. o Compatible with AppleTalk Phase 1 and Phase 2 networks. o Provides full support for System 7. o Supports all AFP (AppleTalk Filing Protocol) 2.1 features. o Large sites can have an unlimited number of open client connections. o UNIX system administrators can post messages on Macintosh client screens at any time. o Security: maps AppleShare group permission models to UNIX. K-Spool Features: o Macintosh and SGI users can share PostScript printers anywhere on the network -- on LocalTalk, Ethernet or serially connected to the SGI host. o No client software is required. After installation on the SGI host, K-Spool is ready to run. o Supports unlimited printers and queues from a single host. o Users don't wait for printing; once a job is sent to the spooler, the Mac is free for continued use. o Macintosh users select any printer through the familiar "Chooser;" SGI users do the same with the standard SGI printing system. o Macintosh users can monitor the status of printers and cancel their own print requests just like SGI users. o Full support for System 7 and PostScript Level 2 drivers. o Compatible with AppleTalk Phase 1 and 2 networks. o Provides full AppleTalk routing for systems with multiple Ethernet interfaces. o Page accounting -- counts only pages actually printed. o Supports Aldus PageMaker printer drivers. For more information or to purchase XINET products, call your local SGI Sales Representative or SGI Direct at 1-800-800-7441. -end- 12. QUORUM EQUAL - MICROSFT WORD & EXCEL FOR SGI WORKSTATIONS You can run Microsoft Word and Excel on your SGI workstation today! How is it done? With Quorum Equal, an Application Adapter that rehosts Word and Excel to run natively on your SGI desktop. Equal translates an applications's high level API calls from the Macintosh platform into corresponding UNIX facilities. But instead of displaying the application running in a Macintosh- or Windows-window, Equal invokes the native UNIX Motif widgets, UNIX file system and fonts plus a variety of other native resources which give the application the appearance and functionality of a native port. Quorum recently released Equal 1.2, which provides a 25 - 30% performance improvement over Equal 1.0. Equal 1.2 is faster in such areas as startup/launch time, compute bound performance and graphics. Equal 1.2 now supports XINET K-AShare file server software. XINET products enable Macintosh and SGI users to share files and printers anywhere on the network. You can purchase Equal 1.2, Word, Excel and the XINET products from your local SGI Sales Representative or call SGI Direct at 1-800-800-7441. For more information please contact Deri Collins, ExpressWare Product Manager, at 415-390-5005 or e-mail deri@corp.sgi.com -end- 13. ANNOUNCING DRUID VERSION 2.0 Druid - Programming by Demonstration of GUIs The Druid User Interface Management System (UIMS) is a software development tool that assists the developer in the design and creation of Graphical User Interfaces (GUIs) for applications using the X11 window system and the OSF/Motif 1.1/1.2 toolkit. Druid provides a highly-interactive and graphical environment for creating GUIs with components such as menus, buttons, panels and scales. The developer customizes interface components by using direct-manipulation techniques and specifies interactive behaviors by demonstration to design the GUI. Druid automatically generates the code for the GUI. In addition, a built-in rule-based design assistant helps the developer create professional quality GUIs. HIGHLIGHTS o Enables visual, dynamic layout of GUI components o Allows programming by demonstration of interactive behaviors (command sequences) o Provides a rule-based, customizable design assistant to help develop attractive GUIs o Automatically generates the UIL and C or C++ code for the GUI. There are no proprietary run-time libraries for the Druid-generated code. o Provides a hypertext style help system for Druid and OSF/Motif widgets o Provides a multi-widget property editor that enables the developer to edit the properties of one or more widgets o Provides a color editor, font selector and bit map selector o Provides a widget tree browser that enables the developer to see the widget tree structure and allows the developer to customize widgets and copy or modify the tree structure directly o Reads OSF/Motif UIL description files as a starting point for GUI development work o Multiple interface description files can be loaded or saved for further modification and code generation DESCRIPTION The Druid user interface management system is a software development tool that assists the developer in designing graphical user interfaces (GUIs) for applications and automatically generates the UIL and C or C++ code for the user interface. The developer directly manipulates user interface components (menus, buttons, panels, scales etc) to design the layout of the GUI and then specifies interactive command sequences by using programming by demonstration. Based on this specification, Druid automatically generates the code for the interface. Druid manages the user interface code and enables the developer to rapidly develop and easily modify the user interface. Druid is based on the X window system Version 11 Release 4/5 and OSF/Motif Version 1.1/1.2. In addition to supporting all of the OSF/Motif widgets, Druid provides graphical editors for creating new colors, for browsing through and selecting bitmaps, and for browsing through the available fonts. Druid actively helps the developer in creating attractive looking user interfaces. As the developer adds new widgets in the interface, Druid's rule-based design assistant guesses the new widget's relation to other widgets in the interface. These relations include various types of alignments, sizings, centerings, and attachments among widgets in the interface. Once the developer confirms Druid's guess, it automatically executes the guessed relation. The overall impact of this ability is that the developer can quickly and easily create attractive interfaces. In Druid, interactive behaviors (command sequences) are specified through programming by demonstration. Having created the layout of the GUI, the developer demonstrates to Druid how the end-user might interact with the GUI and how the GUI should respond to user interactions. Druid watches this demonstration and automatically generates code that implements the demonstrated behavior. Druid further facilitates exploration in interface design by allowing the intertwining of layout and behavior specifications. The developer is allowed to switch back and forth between specifications; one specification does not have to be finished before the other can be started. If during the demonstration of a behavior, the developer needs a widget that has not been created, he or she can add the required widget and continue the behavior specification. Druid comes with a hypertext style help system which runs as a separate program. This help system links all of the OSF/Motif manual pages to each other so that the developer can easily go from one manual page to other related manual pages. The help system can be used stand-alone or with the Druid interface builder. When used with the interface builder, the two systems communicate with each other through the X-Windows ICCCM (Inter Client Communication Conventions Manual) protocol. The developer need not devote any workstation resource to the help system if help is not required. The help system can be started as and when help is required, allowing the developer to make best use of available computing resources. Druid generates optimized UIL (User Interface Language) and C or C++ programs. UIL is a standard language for describing OSF/Motif user interfaces. The code generated by Druid can be compiled and linked with any C or C++ application. Druid generated code is not tied to any proprietary run-time library or environment. The developer is free to take and compile the Druid generated code in any environment that has the compatible X and Motif libraries. For further information contact: Dr. Gurminder Singh Institute of Systems Science National University of Singapore Heng Mui Keng Terrace Kent Ridge Singapore 0511. Email: druid-info@iss.nus.sg Phone: (65)772-3651 FAX: (65)774-4998 TLX ISSNUS RS39988 -- Druid is a product of the Institute of Systems Science, NUS, Singapore. d is a product of the Institute of Systems Science, NUS, Singapore. X Window System is a trademark of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. -end- 14. PORTABLE GRAPHICS SHIPS NEW VERSION OF NPGL LIBRARY FOR X TERMINALS NPGL-X Runs IRIS GL Software In X11 Client-Server Environmnent As of November 10, 1993 Portable Graphics, Inc. is now shipping an X11 version of its NPGL library. Using Xlib, NPGL-X allows software originally developed for Silicon Graphics workstations with the IRIS GL 4.0 library to use Silicon Graphics workstations as X clients. Anyone with a color X11 server can then access NPGL-X applications remotely across the network. Neither the client nor the server requires special graphics acceleration hardware. NPGL-X offers two ways to render. It uses standard Xlib primitives for flat-shaded, non-Z-buffered drawing. For higher quality rendering functions, such as Z-buffering or Gouraud shading, NPGL-X performs the rendering in its own buffers. However, for better performance, the user can bypass the NPGL-X renderers even when the higher level drawing modes are set. In either case, NPGL-X maintains a complete client-server model. The X server handles Xlib primitive rendering and GL window management, while the client maintains the GL state and executes the geometry pipeline. This approach allows the user to take advantage of the high-performance processing power of a single client while displaying on a variety of low-end X stations. NPGL-X supports double- buffered operations if the X server supports Xlib multi-buffering extensions. NPGL-X offers three key benefits to software developers. First, simple 3-D applications meant for widespread use can be developed through IRIS GL's simplified windowing system and powerful GL-widgets. Secondly, NPGL-X performance is well suited for 3-D applications that use flat- shaded polygons, and 2-D or 3-D wire frame operations. These applications include instrumentation panel simulators, seismic charting, financial model simulators and electronic computer-aided design. Finally, NPGL-X also provides Gouraud shading and Z-buffering through software for applications that need these high-end 3-D functions. NPGL-X complements the NPGL library, a hardware-independent version of IRIS GL 4.0 that takes full advantage of 3-D hardware acceleration available on Silicon Graphics workstations. An NPGL-X Client Library provides unlimited X server access from a Silicon Graphics workstation and is priced at U.S. $1,900 for each host. An NPGL-X Development License for Silicon Graphics workstations is U.S. $3,600. Portable Graphics (formerly Nth Portable Graphics) is headquartered in Austin, TX. The company develops and markets hardware independent GL- related graphics libraries and development tools for 3-D workstation- based applications. For more information, contact Portable Graphics, Inc. One Technology Center 2201 Donley Drive, Suite 365 Austin, Texas, 78758-4538 E-mail: npgl@portable.com Voice: (512) 908-4700 Fax: (512) 832-0752 All prices are in U.S. dollars, and are subject to change without notice. NPGL and NPGL-X are trademarks of Portable Graphics, Inc. Silicon Graphics and IRIS are registered trademarks, and IRIS GL is a trademark of Silicon Graphics, Inc. X Window System and X11 are trademarks of M.I.T. All other products mentioned in this article belong to their companies. -end- TECHNICAL ARTICLES AND REFERENCES ================================= 15. IRIS On-Line Archive FTP'able Back issues of IRIS On-Line are now archived and available via anonymous ftp from sgigate.sgi.com. The issues are available as a UNIX mail format file. The path to the archive is ~ftp/pub/archive/iris-on-line. To get the archive using anonymous FTP, use user name "anonymous" and your email address as a password: % ftp sgigate.sgi.com Enter user name: anonymous Password: me@myhost.edu ftp> cd pub/archive ftp> get iris-on-line ftp> quit -end- 16. USENET SGI FAQs AVAILABLE ON WORLD WIDE WEB The Usenet SGI Frequently Asked Questions (and answers) are now available via your favorite WWW browser in html format. They can be found via URL http://www.cis.ohio-state.edu/hypertext/faq/usenet/sgi/faq/top.html The comp.sys.sgi FAQs contain the following groups: o SGI Admin FAQ - IRIX System Administration o SGI Apps FAQ - Applications & Compilers o SGI Graphics FAQ - Graphics & Windowing o SGI Hardware FAQ - Hardware issues o SGI Misc FAQ - Introduction & Miscellaneous Information For information on how to retrieve the FAQs via anonymous FTP, see the July issue of IRIS On-Line article "SGI MISC FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS (FAQ) OVERVIEW AND HOW TO GET IT". The comp.sys.sgi FAQs are the collective effort of Dale Chayes dale@ldeo.columbia.edu Steve Rikli steve@archone.tamu.edu Allan Schaffer aschaffe@sgi.com Dave Schweisguth dcs@neutron.chem.yale.edu -end- +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Silicon Graphics, Inc. is the leading manufacturer of high-performance visual computing systems. The company delivers interactive three-dimensional graphics, digital media and multiprocessing supercomputing technologies to technical, scientific and creative professionals. Its subsidiary, MIPS Technologies, Inc., designs and licenses the industry's leading RISC processor technology for the computer systems and embedded control markets. Silicon Graphics has offices worldwide and headquarters in Mountain View, California. Silicon Graphics and the Silicon Graphics logo are registered trademarks, and CHALLENGE is a trademark of Silicon Graphics, Inc. MIPS is a registered trademark and R4400 is a trademark of MIPS Technologies, Inc. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ For information regarding this publication, send mail to list-manager@sgi.com. The message should consist of the command "info iris-on-line". The subscribe, send mail to list-manager@sgi.com. The message should consist of the command "subscribe iris-on-line". Your return email address will be added to the subscription list. If you wish to receive this magazine at an address other than that from which you are sending your request, send email with the subject "subscribe" to iris-on-line-editor@sgi.com. Include your email address in the message. To include an article or announcement in this publication, send mail with the subject "submittal" to iris-on-line-editor@sgi.com. Please include contact information. All products, services, and other statements regarding Silicon Graphics or third parties are subject to local availability and policies. Please contact your local Silicon Graphics or third party sales representative for information and details in your location. IRIS On-Line is published as an information service to users of Silicon Graphics Computer Systems. Descriptions of, or references to, products or publications within this publication does not imply endorsement of that product or publication by Silicon Graphics. Silicon Graphics makes no warranty of any kind with respect to the subject matter included herein, the products listed herein, or the completeness or accuracy of this catalog. Silicon Graphics specifically disclaims all warranties, express, implied or otherwise, including without limitation, all warranties of merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose.