Date: Tue, 10 Nov 1998 19:13:13 +0100 (MET)
From: Thomas Hiller <hiller@tu-harburg.de>
Subject: [fresco] Fresco98 is finally there
To: fresco@merlin.iuk.tu-harburg.de
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======================================================
Fresco98 is finally available from:
ftp://ftp.iuk.tu-harburg.de/pub/Fresco/Fresco98.tar.gz
======================================================

Please test this version and report problems to the mailing list or 
directly to me (hiller@tu-harburg.de).

What's different from Fresco97:
-------------------------------
o new format for documentation (sgmltools 1.1.x)
o updated reference manual
o new classes for socket events
o undo manager
o fixes to memory leaks
o changes to 'autoconf' configuration
o better windows support
o zoomed text is clipped to avoid excessive memory use
o builds with native SGI compiler
o builds with freebsd 2.2.x

What is Fresco ?
----------------
Fresco is an object-oriented user interface system for development of
window-based applications. It is a design evolution of the InterViews
toolkit that was developed at Stanford University in the late `80s and
early `90s. The Fresco architecture brings together objects that
traditionally have not mixed. User interface objects such as sliders,
buttons, and text editors - as well as the "layout" objects used to
compose them - can mix arbitrarily in Fresco with graphical objects (those
that perform graphical transformations.)

Fresco uses the CORBA standard object model, provides resolution-
independent windowing primitives, and supports a uniform architecture for
graphical embedding. Using CORBA also allows the possibility of
distributed embedding, where an embedded application runs on a different
machine in the network.

More Infos:
-----------
Visit the Fresco web site 'http://www.iuk.tu-harburg.de/fresco'.

There is a mailing list 'fresco@mail.iuk.tu-harburg.de' to discuss all
problems, enhancements, contributions. The mailing list is archived 
at the main web site.

There will be snapshots (for developpers and testers) in the future at
'ftp://ftp.iuk.tu-harburg.de/pub/Fresco/snapshots'.

Why Fresco?  
-----------
Why should your time be invested in Fresco?  Fresco provides a 
portable GUI in native C++ that is free from license restrictions.
It runs on both Windows and Unix.  There are other kits like this,
for example Tcl/TK, however, Tcl/TK is not in native c++.  There are
several other kits in c or c++, but I do not think that there is
one with all of the features of Fresco.  

- Structured graphics
- Native c++ 
- CORBA
- Windows/Unix portability

There is no AWT for C++ as in Java.  Fresco could be the AWT for
C++.   Many man years have been expended on the development of
Fresco.  It would be a great loss if no one were to pick up where
Fujitsu left off.   Please give it a try, and join the effort.
This is yet another "Cathedral" project turned into a "Bazaar" 
project. [1]

Fresco is currently being used as the interface for the 
IUE http://www.aai.com/AAI/IUE/IUE.html, and soon for 
TargetJr http://www.balltown.cma.com/TargetJr.


What needs to be done:
---------------------

You can help to make Fresco better !!!  Join the Bazaar!

Help is needed in nearly all areas.

Some projects are (could be):
- change the 'builtin' CORBA to a Corba2 compliant orb (like MICO)
  (first steps taken)
- add more widgets 
- add html parsing to the text kit.  
- more widgets, more widgets,

[1] Eric S. Raymond,  ``The Cathedral and the Bazaar''.
    http://locke.ccil.org/~esr/writings/cathedral.html


Please contact me (or use the mailing list).

Greetings
	Thomas

PLEASE SEND THIS TO ANYONE INTERESTED IN FRESCO


--
Thomas Hiller				email: hiller@tu-harburg.de
TU Hamburg-Harburg
Zentrallabor Informations- und Kommunikationstechnik
Harburger Schloss-Str. 20		Tel.: +49-40-7718-3448
D - 21071 Hamburg			Fax : +49-40-7718-2579


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