
Preface
XView (X Window-System-based Visual/Integrated Environment for Workstations) is a
user-interface toolkit to support interactive, graphics-based applications running under the X
Window System. This toolkit, developed by Sun Microsystems, Inc., is derived from earlier
toolkits for the SunView windowing system. With over 2000 SunView applications in the
workstation market, there are many programmers already familiar with the SunView applica-
tion programmer’s interface (API).
XView has many advantages for programmers developing new applications in X, such as a
mature and proven API based on the development experience of SunView programmers. It
features an object-oriented style interface that is straightforward and simple to learn.
Like any X toolkit, XView provides a set of pre-built, user-interface objects such as can-
vases, scrollbars, menus, and control panels. The appearance and functionality of these
objects follow the OPEN LOOK Graphical User Interface (GUI) specification. Jointly devel-
oped by Sun Microsystems and AT&T as the graphical user interface standard for System V
Release 4, OPEN LOOK provides users with a simple, consistent, and efficient interface for
performing tasks within an application.
XView is based upon Xlib, the lowest level of the X Window System available to the pro-
grammer. While developing XView user interfaces does not require Xlib programming expe-
rience, ...