rarely use (DOS), but that didn't prevent me from using the application. This is not a coincidence; I knew how to use
MS−Windows because its user−interface is based on the same principles as Motif. Motif can be seen as a superset of
both MS−Windows and Presentation Manager. Even though the others came first, Motif views them as specific
implementations of an abstract specification.
The Motif interface was intentionally modeled after IBM's Common User Access (CUA) specification, which defines
the interface for OS/2 and Microsoft Windows. The reason for this is twofold: first, there is a proven business model
for profiting from an "open systems" philosophy; second, the level of success and acceptance of Microsoft Windows
in the PC world is expected to be quite substantial. As a result, more and more vendors are jumping on the bandwagon
and are supporting Motif as their native graphical interface environment.
Just as my mom becomes more and more familiar with how to use Windows−based software, so too are thousands of
other PC users. As the PC world migrates to UNIX and other larger−scale computers, so too will their applications. In
order to keep their customer base, the developers of those PC applications will adopt Motif as the GUI for the UNIX
versions of their software. As a result, the next few years will see the number of Motif users and developers grow
astronomically as Motif becomes the focal point for software and hardware companies alike.
You have two options for making applications ...