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XEROX
Information Technology Group
Systems Development Division
February 16, 1977
To: Wendell Shultz
Copies to: David Liddle, Chuck Thacker, Ron Rider, Bob Metcalfe, C. Simonyi,
S. Wallace, D. Stottlemyre, J. Szelong, P. Heinrich, L. Bergsteinsson
From: Charles Irby
Subject: February Status Report for Common Software
Filed on: (Irby> Progress. Feb
User Interface:
A presentation was made to PARC staff reviewing the recent workshop on "Desktop
Concepts and Display Windows." Also presented were the results of a recently conducted
"display characteristics" survey. The results of this will be incorporated into a memo on
displays to be released in the near future.
The followup visit to the legal firm in San Francisco has not yet taken place. We are
awaiting permission from the firm. We are also making arrangements to visit some
technical publication departments.
We have been conducting intensive, regularly-scheduled meetings with Charles Simonyi,
discussing user interface ideas and problem areas.
A sneak preview of the Diamond User Interface Specification was released within SD for
internal review of direction before things get too solid. Four major areas were discussed: a)
text selection and editing, b) graphics, c) formatting and layout, and d) document creation,
filing, distributing, and printing. A more polished release will be made sometime within
the next month or so. We are also carefully tracking and reviewing the requirements
document being written by the Applications Software Group. To a very large extent, our
work seems to be in agreement.
Betty Burr has officially accepted our offer and is expected to join our User Interface
Group half time on 1 March going to full time on 1 April.
. Data Management:
Data management activity is being focused on streams and document interfaces and on the
format of directories. We also expect to participate in an upcoming series of meetings on
the Pilot file system. In addition, we are making arrangements to help Ron Rider and Bob
Sproull specify an improvement on the current Press fi Ie format for use with printing
engines.
Peter Bishop is expected to join our data management group in the second quarter, when he
finishes his disertation. The exact status of his situation is somewhat unclear, however.
'vVe are also talking with Richard Moore (of PARe) about joining our group.