Subject: First Impressions of NeWS

From: Jim Sanborn <[email-masked]>
Date: Wed, 16 Sep 87 14:00:51 EST

First Impressions of NeWS

                      William Roberts
                         Mel Slater
                        Kieron Drake
                       Antony Simmins
                       Allan Davison

               Department of Computer Science
                     Queen Mary College
                     190 Mile End Road
                      LONDON    E1 4NS

                       Peter Williams

                QMC Interactive Systems Ltd
                     229 Mile End Road
                      LONDON    E1 4NS

                          ABSTRACT

          The SUN Microsystems Network Extensible  Win-
     dow  System  (NeWS)  is a display system that uses
     the PostScript page description language  to  pro-
     vide  fully  device  independent  screen and input
     manipulation as a network service. This system has
     been  available  in  the UK as a beta test product
     since April 1987 and this paper reports  the  work
     done  with  NeWS at Queen Mary College.  A general
     introduction to NeWS is given, together with  some
     more detailed information and reports of what each
     author has been doing with the  system.   We  will
     try  to  predict  the  future of NeWS and its main
     rival (the MIT X-Windows system)  and  to  suggest
     changes  to  the  NeWS  beta  product that will be
     necessary for it to realise its potential.

     Keywords: NeWS,  PostScript,  workstation,  window
     systems, device independence, graphics, X-windows

August 1987 - 25 pages

-------------------------------------------------------------
This paper can be obtained free of charge by writing to

        Sue White
        Research Coordinator
        Department of Computer Science
        Queen Mary College
        190 Mile End Road
        LONDON                  E1 4NS
        ENGLAND

or sending e-mail to [email-masked].