Subject: Announce: TIP - Client/Server GUI
From: [email-masked] (Bernhard Strassl)
Date: Wed, 10 Aug 1994 16:58:52 GMT
Newsgroups: comp.os.linux.announce

TIP - One more Client/Server GUI Approach

  This is an announcement of the very first implementation
  of TIP servers, clients and a test site where you can try
  out running TIP applications over the internet.

What the hell is TIP?

  TIP is the abbreviation for 'Toolkit Interface Protocol',
  another client/server protocol for remote graphical user
  interfaces.
  Unlike the well-known X-Protocol or RIP (Remote Imaging
  Protocol) the TIP communication between client and server
  is done on toolkit level rather than on graphics level.

  The toolkit level is defined according to X-Window's distinction
  between Xlib and Xtk, and that means that client requests concern
  toolkit objects. ('Widgets', like dialog boxes, buttons, edit
  fields, listboxes, etc.)

  In other words - a TIP client tells its server to create a
  PushButton, to set a label and a callback, and that's it.
  For the same operation a X-Windows client would have to create a
  window, obtain a graphics context, draw borders, fill the button
  face, draw the shadows, etc. before it can finally draw the text
  and register some low level events.

Does this make sense?

  We think so. There are at least two major benefits of a toolkit
  protocol: Less communication on the transport medium and full
  integration of the application into the displaying system's
  look and feel.

  We still haven't compared the amount of TIP communication against
  that of X-Windows, but I think it is far below. (My online Motif
  mail tool prototype at home works with an old 2400 bps modem.)
  In general, I think that it means wasting bandwidth of a serial
  line or a wide area network when sending low level graphics
  commands in situations where they aren't necessary - like the
  toolkit part of an application. Of course, when doing 'real'
  graphics like drawing or image processing you'll need them, but
  then they do make sense. 

  Regarding look & feel you should know that TIP servers are
  free in which toolkit they use, as long as it allows the required
  functionality to be implemented. For example we have written
  our first non-Unix Server in MS-Windows with standard Windows
  controls, so a TIP application looks like an ordinary Windows
  program.

  Another advantage of TIP may be that the basic protocol is
  very small and simple, and that it is completely independend of
  programming languages. Especially for tip clients this means
  that any system that is capable of writing/reading characters on
  a communication line may be easily turned into a TIP application
  server - regardless of if being a mainframe with a COBOL program
  (I hope to get a friend of mine to write appropriate COBOL
  subroutines), an old DOS PC, or some CNC production machine.
  (Yes, you'll be able to port it to your refrigator... ;-)

What about restrictions?

  The current implementation 
  - doesn't support any non-toolkit objects.
    Image support for displaying pictures and icons on the TIP
    server will be added soon, the integration with a graphics
    protocol is planned for the future.
  - isn't capable of multi-tasking, you have to run one TIP server
    per TIP client. This should also change during the next months,
    and then you'll be able to run multiple local and remote clients
    on one server.
  - lacks a Macintosh server.
    I doubt that the Mac server port will be as easy as the
    MS-Windows one, but we'll start it as soon as possible.

Will the stuff be useable in the near future?

  Yes, for a variety of applications that can live with the
  above restrictions. Besides typical remote access software
  like a mailtools, newsreaders, file download utilities, etc.,
  I can also imagine to use it to introduce GUIs for commercial
  host-software like banking- and insurance-programs.

  The protocol and the existing implementations are designed to
  be easy extensible, this allows to add project specific
  extensions immediately. (Which may turn into a standard later,
  i.e. low level graphics.)

How can you try it?

  Demos are available as binaries for the following platforms:

  SUN SPARC / SunOS 4.1.3
  IBM RS6000 / AIX 3.2
  HP 9000/700 / HP-UX 8.07 and HP-UX 9.01
  PC 386/486 / Linux 0.99.14 and above
  PC 80x86 / MS-Windows 3.1

  The Unix TIP servers use Motif widgets. The AIX version should
  work with your shared libraries, the others are statically
  linked with Motif.  The servers will work with Xaw(3d) or
  Tcl/Tk also, but we didn't test these variants by now.

The stuff can be downloaded from our ftp server

  sokrates.ani.univie.ac.at

  directory:  pub/TIP
      files:  README.TIP      // installing instructions
              tip_*.gz        // gzipped release tar files
              tip_*.Z         // compressed release tar files
              gunzip.exe      // gnu unzip for DOS
              tar.exe         // gnu tar for DOS

  Our 'poll server' allows your TIP display server to fire up a
  TIP demo client over the interet:

  Host: sokrates.ani.univie.ac.at Port: 6069

  See README.TIP for details.

Any feedback is welcome!!
Mail should be sent to

    [email-masked] (preferred)
    [email-masked]

---------------------------------------------------------------
                              ATnet Systems Development
  Bernhard Strassl                        +
                              Dpt. for Applied Computer Science
                              and Information Systems
                              University of Vienna
---------------------------------------------------------------

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