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From: RALPH@UHHEPG.BITNET
Newsgroups: comp.os.vms
Subject: Discussion of SMG routines
Message-ID: <8707230859.AA20058@ucbvax.Berkeley.EDU>
Date: Thu, 23-Jul-87 04:59:16 EDT
Article-I.D.: ucbvax.8707230859.AA20058
Posted: Thu Jul 23 04:59:16 1987
Date-Received: Sat, 25-Jul-87 05:26:12 EDT
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Date: 22-JUL-1987 15:46:15.70
From: Ralph Becker-Szendy RALPH AT UHHEPG
To:   GATEWAY::"info-vax@kl.sri.com",RALPH
Subj: Discussion of SMG routines
I've been hearing a lot about the SMG routines here lately.
They are definitely difficult to use; but doing complicated applications
with several windows on the screen without them would be much worse.
The nicest feature is its hardware-independence: you don't have to care
whether the screen is a VT1xx or VT2xx. Unfortunately it can't be tailored
for non-DEC VT220 compatibles (it would be nice and efficient if i could
teach it to use all the possible escape-sequences of my Falco 5220).

The real bad thing: they are NOT BUG FREE ! My little contribution to the
recently mentioned bugs: when you have a large window (window being shorthand
for virtual display), paste a smaller window over it, and move the small
window around a lot (not unpaste and repaste it, but move it). Sometimes the
small window should also extend over the pasteboard and get clipped. After
moving it for 30 or 40 times, SMG gets confused, and does not repaint the
large window the right way. Continuing to cruise around with the small window
will eventually lead to complete confusion all over the screen. I haven't
wasted any time on stuidying the cause in detail (my big window was in reverse,
and the small one had a borderline), i just started working on other things,
and put the windowing stuff on hold. I'll just wait for VMS 4.6 to be
installed here (we are still at 4.2). If my program doesn't run then, i'll
submit a SPR.

Ralph Becker-Szendy
University of Hawaii / High Energy Physics Group

Disclaimer: The views expressed here are probably not endorsed by my
employer. I hardly ever actually speak to my employer. Even our system manager
stops smiling when i come by.