a place in the sun
about Sun, Solaris 10 and Java Workstation w2100z -- Posts with "sunshine" in titles will praise SUNW, Solaris 10 or w2100z. Posts with "sunspot" will complain. Other posts will fall somewhere in-between.
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2005-11-23
sunspot - DECWindows
After reading Solaris Desktop Gap Analysis, I again missed OpenWindows. They have been dead for many years ago now. Two important points about OpenWindows: firstly, it gave Sun desktop a distinct look and feel; secondly, it signified Sun's committment for desktop and all that implies -- a comprehensive and cohesive set of user tools, dedication to usability and user community.
After OpenWindows we got Motif/CDE (philosophical and aesthetical decendants of DECWindows). "Beige." Boring. Ugly. Obviously designed by committee. No room for fun. Taking care of desktop was to be done by others and with others in CDE committee. In other words taking care of users was in effect outsourced.
Gnome/JDS hasn't changed anything substantial in this respect. It still feels like DECWindows/CDE. At least on DECWindows/CDE I didn't have mismashed set of look and feel from GTk, Qt, Motif, Java Swing and its set of look and feel, Xt, etc, etc. Okay, I am glad to have Gnome's terminal rather than dtterm with black foreground text on dark purple background.
Back to Solaris Desktop Gap Analysis. It's a very long and detailed. If you want a shorter analysis, read Elliott Hughes' take. "Solaris blows."
At 23:08 by Jay 
This is my personal blog. The views expressed on these pages are mine alone and not those of my employer.
Jay Han