[Info-vax] VMS Desktop system

[Phillip Helbig---undress to reply]

In article <Wa6Rv.134483$Fo3.77413 at fx09.iad>, Shark8
<OneWingedShark at gmail.com> writes: 

> There are apparently a few windowing-managers for VMS (I've seen X and 
> DECWindows mentioned); 

DECWindows is just another name for X.

> but as an absolute newcomer to VMS I have no 
> experience with either and, from the context, it seems that neither of 
> these are adequate.

As far as windowing goes, they are adequate for me.

Note that there are additional layers higher up.  I'm using CDE, for 
example.  There is also the traditional DECwindows interface.

> So then, it follows that the following must be asked:
> "WHAT DOES VMS NEED FOR A SUCCESSFUL DESKTOP"
> (and, presumably, windowing-system)
> 
>    Given the context of the previous thread, it seems this
>    can be summarized as "a common, accessible GUI interface"

That's not something I miss.

>    and supplemented with "lightweight and accessible from
>    other machines [possibly non-VMS] over a network" given
>    the propensity of VMS towards more "server-esque" tasks.

Again, not something I'm interested in (remotely accessing VMS), though 
I have been known to log in using a VT220 emulator on an iPad.  :-|

> {In addition to that, would we want to do the window-system proper in a 
> language explicitly designed for visual media, like PostScript? If so, 
> would that be a good way to tout/flaunt VMS's common-language environment?}

It is no problem to read PostScript, PDF etc on VMS.