Re: CX - Uniform Interface Library.

[Hans Zoebelein <zocki@goldfish.cube.net>]

This could give Linux a real boost among systems available for blind
support. Sometimes it has to be a bonus if source code is available. 

Developers, please start you engines! 

Enjoy!
Hans



On Fri, 4 Dec 1998, www.wep.net/~mlang wrote:

> Hello.
> Thought this would interest many people here.
> Some days ago I saw a announcement on freshmeat about a Lib called CX.
> Here is what freshmeat says about it:
> description:
> CX is a does-everything UI library. It allows for non-graphical UIs,
> built-in themes support, and it's possible to use another API to
> interface with CX. Currently only Pages (windows) and commands
> (buttons) are implemented, further expansion is planned.
> Tom Whittock @ 11/29/98 - 17:55
> 
> Homepage: http://ds.dial.pipex.com/shallow/
> 
> As I saw the announcement I instantly wrote a mail to the author to get
> some more info.
> And what I got is great.
> 
> Here some lines from the mail-contact I had with him. I would forward the
> whole message also but I currently have some problems to access
> blinux-list from my new mail-account where the mail came in. 
> 
> > First of all, will it allow to access X-apps which arent designed to
> > work with CX? I suppose no but I thought asking were interesting.
> Sort of. I think the CX-Emulation document goes into this a little. The
> way CX is designed is this:
> 
> Application
> CXLib
> CXUILib
> OS/Display
> 
> So it would be fairly trivial to insert an emulation library at some
> point in the process which took in, for example, GTK API calls and put
> out CX API calls. This would allow, for e.g. A braille GTK
> application... Although I don't know how that would be laid out... But
> that's a matter for the future.
> > Why did you start this project. 
> Hmm. I read someone's editorial on Freshmeat, about The X Window System,
> and thought his comments were valid, so I set about doing something
> about it. It took me a while to think up what exactly to do, and when I
> started it took me a while to do anything vaguely useful, but finally
> here we are.
> 
> ----------------------------------------------------------------
> Basically CX will be able to get input from many application-libraries.
> Qt, GTK, Tcl/Tk... everything should be possible in theory. Its a
> high-level API.
> And after CX collected the information it needs I will output it through a
> UI you can write or choose yourself. So we could e.g. write a
> Text-mode-UI, or on specially designed for Braille-display users, or one
> designed for Speech-access users, or even on written in eLisp and useable
> through Emacs&Emacspeak.
> What do you think about this?
> Its a great idea IMHO.
> 
> Anyway, have a look at his (very simple at the moment) homepage for the CX
> project and write him a mail if you want to help. He is very happy about
> feedback.
> 
> Here some more lines from our mail-contact:
> 
> > Ill wait for your answer and will put a message about CX on blinux-list
> > (a for for blind linux users). Probably we'll get some more help from
> > there.
> That's GREAT!
> > You know, Open Source Software only exists due to demand. And people who
> > want to use something they cant use at the time are probably very
> > enthousiastic..
> I never expected a large reaction from blind linux users, although I
> considered the application of CX for the blind, of course. I'm glad
> there's a 'market' for CX amongst the blind - anything I can do to
> increase the popularity of Linux will, of course be done :)
> 
> 
> CYa,
>     Mario