Volume 6A: Motif Programming Manual

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 ...