Path: utzoo!utgpu!watmath!clyde!att!rutgers!mit-eddie!uw-beaver!ssc-vax!benoni
From: benoni@ssc-vax.UUCP (Charles L Ditzel)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.next
Subject: Re : Display PS vs NeWS
Keywords: NeWS is a superset of POSTSCRIPT!
Message-ID: <2391@ssc-vax.UUCP>
Date: 2 Dec 88 04:49:10 GMT
References: <941@riddle.UUCP>
Organization: Boeing Aerospace Corp., Seattle WA
Lines: 76

From article <941@riddle.UUCP>, by domo@riddle.UUCP (Dominic Dunlop):
> In article <7361@pasteur.Berkeley.EDU> faustus@ic.Berkeley.EDU
> 	(Wayne A. Christopher) writes:
>>Why did NeXT use Display Postscript instead of Sun's NeWS?  How much of
>>a difference is there?  Is there any reason to use DP instead of NeWS,
>>or is NeXT just trying to be different?  It seems like ignoring
>>standards is a big part of their business stragegy...
  
> Er.  NeWS a standard?  Sun would have liked it to be a standard, but,
> unlike -- say -- NFS and SPARC, it hasn't caught outside Sun: 
Your are DEAD WRONG. NeWS has caught on outside of Sun. There are 66+
licensees...obviously some companies out their are interested in NeWS.
I really despise ignorance...so I will also mention that NeWS is the
basis for Silicon Graphics windows system (that's right...not X11),
it also is the basis for Raster Technologies products, it also 
was available on the Mac before X and on OS/2 before PM...further
NeWS is a SUPERSET of Postscript...it understands processes, windows,
events, etc.  

> X issweeping it aside even if, arguably, X isn't addressing quite the same
> problem as NeWS.  (Hell, corporate deceision makers don't want to be
> bothered with little details like that.)
  I have a healthy respect for X11 but with the
exception of the networking it is the same old ten (or more) year old 
techology ... it is no REAL breakthrough...X is a toy when compared
technically with NeWS...(you can emulate X from NeWS...the reverse is
not possible)

As for X sweeping NeWS aside...wait....System V Releas 4 Unix will
contain X11/NeWS ... so lucky Sys5.4 users will be able to have BOTH...
running under ONE user interface OPEN LOOK.  When we have X and NeWS
on the same machine...my money is on people recognizing the sheer
technical advantages of NeWS and the weakness and limitations of
X/Display Postscript.  However, why worry ... System V Release 4 will
have a merged X11/NeWS which will allow users to run both types of
windows in a harmonious fashion.  Hopefully you now understand your statement 
about NeWS being nowhere but Sun (and the 66+ others) makes even less
sense since it will be part of Unix.    :-)
> 
> PostScript, on the other hand, is a de-facto standard, and to me, Display
Again complete SHEER IGNORANCE.  NeWS IS a Postscript *superset* - they send
you Adobe's Postscript books so you can learn NeWS!!!!!  I routinely display
Transcript (another Adobe product) produced Postscript in NeWS' psview which
allow you to view postscript files.  So you are CORRECT in your own perverse
way...Postscript is the de-facto standard...but NeWS not only groks Postscript
but does Postscript windows, networking, events, processes, canvases, etc...
Adobe DP does not.

> PostScript looks to me like an obvious next step (groan), provided that
Display Postscript is a subset of NeWS, it depends on the native windows
system and has a substantial less features...no dynamically extensible 
server (since X11 has none)...no variable path windows (like circular,
triangular), etceter etcetera etcetera

Now for the answer to the original question : I really doubt Job could
bring himself to endorse NeWS ... he then couldn't bring himself to endorse
X...marketing reasons underlies both decisions... (Jobs is bright at hyping, 
marketing and organizing and synthesizing ideas) ... Not using X or NeWS
doesn't make the machine any less creative and interesting ... 


> Dominic Dunlop
I am sorry for the flame...but next time you post facts ... do a little
research first.  X/Display Postscript has alot of potential...but quite
simply (because NeWS is a superset of DP) X/NeWS has alot more potential.

--------------
My opinions are my own...and i type them on a Sun running NeWS :-) and
soon it will be running X11/NeWS ... and if I want to run a NeWS window
I can do that ... and if I want to run an X11 window I will be able do that 
to...  and if I want to cut and paste from an X window to a NeWS window I 
will be able to do that ... and if I want Postscript I have a postscript
(NeWS) shell and postscript viewer ... and I will have an X toolkit and
a NeWS toolkit for development ... and if I want to have X do what NeWS
does ...sigh...well then I CAN'T DO THAT. (sorry for being obnoxious...
but consider it an education).