Also see: "Graphics" on the home page and the X page.
GUI Design:
Desktop Systems:
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General Subject:
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Berlin:
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Berlin is a hoped-for replacement of almost every part of Linux except the kernel
and applications. It does the job of X11, desktops (GNOME, etc), session managers, window managers,
and even RPM (it has a registry [gasp]). The design seems to have borrowed a lot from M$Win, MacOS, and
the Fresco GUI. It is largely defined in terms of CORBA IDL and uses CORBA in important ways.
It probably specifies too many details of its proposed GUI for many people's taste, but it at least
provides a flexible, modular framework upon which alternatives could be constructed. It seems
to me rather a shame that the Fresco implementation seems to have been reinvented (and without
obvious attribution), but it may be the only form in which Fresco survives. Of course, for Berlin
to ever be accepted, it will have to support X11 applications and it looks like it eventually will.
Berlin relies on the GGI work for the low-level X11 replacement. As of Nov'98, it appears
to be the best bet for a high-tech GUI for unixy OSs. Unfortunately it's not free software; it's under (L)GPL.
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Berlin A replacement for X11 using modern concepts. Has associated GUI API, Warsaw. Also has
built-in application registry. Canonical site.
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The Berlin Project: GUI Concepts Jordan Mendelson's site
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CDE:
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GNOME:
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GNUstep:
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KDE:
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OPENSTEP:
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TkDesk:
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TkDesk "Desktop and File Manager" (add-on not in the same league as the others)
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TkDesk review Aug'96 LG
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Xterminal "an Object Oriented User Interface with a client-server
architecture. The main purpose is a friendly interface for the UNIX operating
systems. It is designed to be used to build text-based applications in C++." (non-X11)
Window Managers:
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General Subject:
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Specific Window Managers:
Toolkits, Frameworks, Libraries, etc:
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General info:
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Specific products:
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A Biased Comparison By JX author.
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Amulet (Started by Brad Meyers, et al., of Carnegie Mellon University):
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Amulet Home Page At CMU; moribund, but lots here.
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OpenAmulet "a framework of tools that make it significantly easier to design and implement highly
interactive user interfaces."
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Berlin: See under "Desktop systems", but it has its own GUI libraries too.
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EZWGL C library over Xlib. Nice. Small. Modern (DnD,3D).
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fltk - The Fast Light Tool Kit Home Page "a GPL'd C++ user interface toolkit
for X and OpenGL and Win32"
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FOX Said to be fast and easy. Multi-platform.
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Fresco Don't miss this one. This seems to be the most well designed of the GUI libraries,
getting praise from many. It needs more developers and feedback from some users to improve its
rather steep learning curve and to add a few important features to the powerful ones that exist now.
XFree-style licence.
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GGI:
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GTK, GTK+:
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Guile's Unofficial Home Page
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ivtools (InterViews+Unidraw decendent; from Vectaport; XFree-style licence)
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JX GUI toolkit (C++ app. framework for X)
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LessTif:
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lxb (Linux X GUI builder)
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MGR HOWTO
Information on the MGR graphics interface for Linux. (An alternative to X.)
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MGUI (GUI C SW builder, freeware)
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Motif (also see LessTif):
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BX Pro $; GUI builder for Motif. Available for most other Uxixes too.
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Help ToolKit for Motif Shareware. For adding help to Motif (w/wo CDE) apps.
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The Motif Zone (for Motif developers; has e-mag version of hardcopy "The Motif Developer")
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MW3: Motif on the World Wide Web Large good site.
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SNAPIX SEL "an interface and application generator which allows you to use
X11 and Motif libraries under Unix with ease"; sounds good.
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TeleUSE "provides all the tools developers need to interactively design
and build fully object-oriented, Motif-based GUIs in C or C++"
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ViewKit "a foundation for OSF/Motif Development" (C++ GUI Framework for Motif and CDE;
a free version for Linux requires registration and is probably binary-only)
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VDX - Motif Interface Builder For C/C++. Sounds good.
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Xarm "is a C++ wrapper of the Motif, Xmext and Xbae widget libraries."
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Notif A C-based OO widgit library with modern features. Sounds good. See c.o.l.a article.
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OpenGL:
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Qt:
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Troll Tech Owners of Qt.
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Qtalk Binds the Qt widget set to Squeak Smalltalk variant.
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Harmony/FreeQt (Clone of Qt):
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SDL: Simple Directmedia Layer
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Tk:
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TkStep Tk with N*XTSTEP look plus Offix DnD.
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TOAD "The Simple and Powerful C++ GUI Toolkit for the X Window System"
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V:
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ViewKit:
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ViewKit "a foundation for OSF/Motif Development"
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Viewtouch:
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wxWindows (C++):
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X, X11, X Window System
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Zinc $ Multi-platform C++ GUI API and interface builder.
Misc GUI tool collections:
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tkWorld (GUI versions of common Unix tools)
Misc:
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IPAD ($, but sorta free use; a front end for programs)
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Prometheus Truecolor "The portable truecolor graphics system" (C++ class lib)
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Themes.org (GUI colors and decorations?)
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XFCE "Window/Backdrop Manager and Toolbar for X released"
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TkGoodstuff (button bar for X):
Last Modified 19-Apr-1999
End of page.