IXI Brings Iconic X.desktop to OSF/Motif
 
Copyright (c) 1989, McGraw-Hill, Inc.
NEW YORK (Microbytes Daily News Service) --- IXI Limited
unwrapped version 2.0 of its X.desktop iconic file management
system at Unix Expo last week. Earlier versions were built
directly on top of the X Window System from MIT, but 2.0 is built
on top of the Open Software Foundation's Motif environment, using
OSF's standard toolkit and features. This release makes IXI
Limited one of the first Motif implementors to actually deliver a
product to market.
 
X.desktop supplies an icon-based graphical representation of the
files, directories, and programs on a Unix-based computer or
network. As an alternative to a Unix shell command line or just a
menu, users of X.desktop can run programs and carry out file
management operations by manipulating icons. Files are associated
with icons by means of tables. Tables also specify actions
associated with icons. For example, the table might specify that
if a text-file icon is dropped onto a trashbin icon that the
corresponding text file is compressed and moved to a special
directory kept for unwanted files.
 
The system administrator can describe system default icon
association and action tables, but each user can have her own set
of tables that modify the definitions for her.
 
X.desktop is an integral part of Xsight, the DOS X Window server
from Locus Systems. X.desktop is also bundled with or available
on systems from Santa Cruz Operation (Open Desktop), NCR, Sun,
Apollo, Hewlett-Packard, Apple (Mac II), DEC, Uniplex, Motorola,
UniCad, and Acorn Computers. It's also available as a
stand-alone, "shrink-wrapped" product from UniPress.
 
IXI also announced that IBM is evaluating the product for its AIX
line (release rumored to be the 1st quarter of '90).
 
Contact: IXI Limited, 62-74 Burleigh St, Cambridge CB1 1OJ,
England; telephone 011-44-223-462131.
 
                              --- Ben Smith
 
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