X windows and Motif development on SGI machines - marketing plans?

[Dan Johnston]

I am a new SGI user.  My 4D/25 and 4D/20 personal IRIS boxes are supposed
to show up Monday.  I have been using the 4D/35 down the hall, I have been
reading this mail stream, and I have been asking questions of my sales rep
that he cannot answer.  Can someone in SGI netland help?

I want to do software development on the SGI boxes, and use X and Motif to
build the user interfaces.  With the current version of OS for the SGIs
(which is 3.3.1 at our site) you have to buy the following options with
your system;

        - the Software Developers kit (manuals?) so that you can figure
        out how to run the compiler, GL library, etc. (I'm not sure because
        I do not have my system yet).

        - the X windows development package so that you have the libraries,
        include files, and manuals to build your own X applications (as
        apposed to just running existing applications.)

        - Motif for the SGI, which you have to buy from someone else at
        this moment.

I have purchased the SW developers option, pulled X11R4 from off the net
(until I get my new budget), and am looking at Motif.

I know that SG is moving to a native Motif environment with version 4.0
of the OS due "sometime soon".  How will this change my purchasing plans?

Do I still have to buy an X-window developer's kit?  Will there also be
a Motif-1.1 developer's kit available from SG?  If these are standard
parts of the OS, will the (upgraded) Software Developer's kit include
all the stuff I need?  What do I have to buy?

Does anyone out there know, ... or do I just sit tight without Motif and
with my netware version of X development until version 4.0 arrives and the
dust clears?

Thanks to any and all who can reply to this.

Daniel (Dan) F. Johnston                JOHNSTON at NRCMTC.NRC.CA
National Research Council of Canada     Tel: (613) 993-6627
Montreal Road Campus, Bldg. M-3         Fax: (613) 998-2771
Ottawa, Ont. CANADA K1A 0R6