Date:	Tue, 19 Dec 1995 21:27:33
From:	"Alaric B. Williams" <DJGPP AT abwillms DOT demon DOT co DOT uk>
Reply-To:	DJGPP AT abwillms DOT demon DOT co DOT uk
To:	DJGPP AT sun DOT soe DOT clarkson DOT edu
Cc:	List AT abwillms DOT demon DOT co DOT uk, Mailing AT abwillms DOT demon DOT co DOT uk,
	DJGPP AT sun DOT soe DOT clarkson DOT edu
Subject:	Re: topline in v2
Lines:	40

In your message dated Tuesday 19, December 1995 you wrote :
> 
> Btw, what would you do with any other compiler to see it's progress?
> 

This reminds me of some generic user interfacing theory I was thinking of a 
while ago. The problem I saw was that apps developed for text mode, graphics 
mdoe, and streamed text modes all dealt with the basic units of user interaction 
differently. IE, a graphics program would indicate activity by making the mouse 
cursor do something pretty, a text program often with a percentage that changed, 
and a streamed program with a row of dots. What I think is needed is s generic C 
[++?] interface for this kind of think, providing:

User messages (message popup, straight to console, etc) with options for bleeps, 
message category (error, warning, info, fatal, etc)

Simple choice boxes (message, yes/no, ok/cancel, etc)

Alert noises

Progress indicators

And anything else thinkable off. These could be implemented for just 'bout 
any environment. You wouldn't write whole applications with them, but they would 
be used in, say, a data compression library - zlib at the moment sends messages 
to stdout. With this, they would be sent to wherever all the other messages 
went!

Comments, anyone?


Regards,


ABW

-- 
Alaric B. Williams (alaric AT abwillms DOT demon DOT co DOT uk)
"A man walks into a bar, right, and he goes 'ouch' coz it's an iron bar"

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