Fwd: [sac-dev] user interface

[George Helffrich]

This appears to be a breathtaking step backward in capability.  If I 
understand GTK properly, it is:

1) not network capable like X11 (meaning you can't run SAC on one 
machine and display the graphics on another machine);

2) would demand open source for SAC due to it coming under the GPL.

(2) was the motive, I thought, for opting for the {Free,Net}BSD version 
of readline rather than GNU readline recently.

(1) is a drastic limitation in capability, if I understand GTK rightly: 
  you have to run SAC on the same computer that your display is wired to.

Finally, a word of caution/perspective.  GTK resembles Tcl/Tk in that 
it does not originate in an industrial consortium.  PASSCAL was burned 
by relying on Tcl/Tk for its PDB interface field apps:  subtle 
differences in new releases led to user problems in the field.

Is the feature loss, the open source implications, and the possible 
release troubles worth borrowing for a spiffier SAC look?

								George Helffrich
								george at geology.bristol.ac.uk