Re: Writing an Operating System in Ada

[Shark8 <onewingedshark@gmail.com>]

On Jan 14, 12:04 pm, tmo...@acm.org wrote:
> > > Right, but in an OO system you would barely need PostScript. I doubt
> > > anybody would like to program in PostScript, so what is left? Poor as a
> > > data carrier, unusable for humans. Doesn't it remind something? XML? (:-)=
> > )
>
> > Exactly. For visual data to the screen and printer it would make a
> > good unified format. We don't have to actually have people programming
> > in PostScript, just have [UI] objects know how to output it and
> > [display] objects know how to render it... which is EXACTLY the class
> > a PostScript printer falls into.
>
>   The desktop on my computer rarely looks similar to a piece of paper on
> my real desk.  I doubt Postscript is an equally good description language
> for both.  Didn't the Next computer use Postscript?  And do current Macs?

That's incorrect, insofar as the hardware [your monitor] is concerned
your computer's desktop is EXACTLY like a piece of paper, or rather
multiple ones drawn and shown to you. For example VCR tapes run at 25
FPS, this is exactly the same as taking some twenty-five drawn frames
and showing them over one second.

PostScript is perfectly suitable for drawing such a frame. In fact, if
you program things as being based off of vectors and shadings
{something PS is GOOD at} then it's conceivable that your desktop
could be independent [some caveats on low-resolutions, obviously] of
resolution/color-depth keeping things relatively uniform. Just like
you can use a PS file to print a good-looking big poster and use the
same file to print an [equivalent] 8.5x11 poster/thumbnail.