Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!ucbvax!hplabs!hp-pcd!hpcvlx!ben
From: ben@hpcvlx.HP.COM (Benjamin Ellsworth)
Newsgroups: comp.windows.x
Subject: Re: Gadgets in Motif
Message-ID: <100920101@hpcvlx.HP.COM>
Date: 17 Aug 89 18:01:16 GMT
References: <322.8908161255@jupiter.cmi.no>
Organization: Hewlett-Packard Co., Corvallis, OR, USA
Lines: 39


> Is the advantage converting a Widget into a functionally equilavalent
> Gadget primarily speed, memory savings or both?

Primarily memory, however any time you get smaller on a virtual memory
platform you also get faster -- the classical Speed vs. Size tradeoff is
simply not accurate on most systems anymore.  A gadget can be designed
to carry only the minimum data neccessary to perform its function.  All
of the "shadow" window data (normally carried in and supported from 
core) can be eliminated.  Gadgets allow both the client and the window 
server to be smaller and faster.

> Is this a Motif-only toolkit extension?

The idea is not new or unique with OSF.  HP did them (the idea is at
least as old as the XRay toolkit on X10), DEC did them (although to 
hear them talk about it you'd think theirs were the first, the best or 
the only), SPC did them, a couple of universities did them in the 
course of other work, and I don't know who else but I'm sure a lot of 
others did them also.  Eliminating uneeded window overhead is an 
obvious enhancement to the original Xt Intrinsics design.  Everybody, 
to the best of my knowledge, did them slightly differently.  The OSF 
Motif gadgets follow a particular design policy which I'm sure OSF 
considers either copyrighted or a "trade secret" so I won't elaborate 
on it.

If you want to build your own gadgets, either buy a OSF Motif source
license and extend the current gadget set or create your own style of 
windowless objects.  The latter may take some careful enhancements to 
the Xt Intrinsics.

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