Re: [Dps-devel] Sending web pages via DPS

[Juliusz C. <Jul...@en...>]

WS> Here and there I have come across references to DPS as
WS> being a way to send web pages via the internet.

Hmm...  I can understand where your confusion is coming from.

DPS is a rendering extension for X11.  Programmed well, DPS uses less
bandwidth than core X (and programmed badly, it can be an absolute
hog, as anyone who ever used Sun's Answerbook can testify).
Therefore, it might be a good choice for running interactive
applications over a WAN, as long as round-trip delays are not too bad.

DPS does not compare directly to HTML over HTTP.  HTML is not a
rendering interface; it is a format for describing rich text with
hyperlinks; HTTP is a transport protocol.  DPS, on the other hand,
combines an up-to-the-pixel immediate rendering interface with its own
transport protocol.

You can think of DPS as a castrated version of NeWS; unlike NeWS, DPS
does not deal with window management or event handling, leaving such
tasks to core X.

Many of the designers of NeWS later went on to design Java; the main
difference between NeWS and Java being that NeWS uses a ``push''
model, while Java uses ``pull''.  (And, of course, the fact that Java
was designed as a general-purpose programming language, unlike NeWS
which was specialised for rendering and window management.)

WS> could this be a "new" solution to bringing the internet to other
WS> platforms such as embedded systems more efficiently?

I don't think so.  But then, I'm no visionary.

WS> Right now I installed DGS on my Debian Linux OS. Is there
WS> anyway to experiment with this concept and learn a little
WS> at the same time?

I suggest installing the lates XFree86 CVS, and playing with the
included sample clients.  Or else you could install GTKdps and play
with their sample clients.

You'll find a number of resources on

  http://dps.sourceforge.net

Regards,

                                        Juliusz