> I'd like to hear your comments on whether X-Windows software for
> molecular biology will grow in importance over the coming decade
> over personal computer software. Also, are you currently using X-
> Window software? Do you expect to in the next year or so?
Don,
As long as you are speaking in decades I am sure that the
answer is yes 8-). I still think that the standard Mac interface
remains the most popular for biologists in the near term and am unsure
of the appeal of A/UX.
I personally use an X terminal which serves off of one of our
Sun fileservers for most of my work. X terminals utilize X windows
(obviously). They have the advantage of being cheaper than a
workstation (or a Mac loaded up enough to run A/UX) and allow one the
same type of working environment, i.e., multiple windows, cutting and
pasting, etc. However, within the windows themselves I am simply
running the various standard character-based software on GOS. Others
in the systems group here are running software written specifically
for X windows in their environments, but I haven't had sufficient need
yet to "upgrade" since my current set up handles my needs quite
adequately (the old inertia problem again 8-)! But then, I am a
humble administrator, not a software engineer, and my needs are not
complex.
