.AC "Acknowledgements" 1
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This document is presented to the members of the X3D ad hoc committee
and the general public.  It embodies the specification of a protocol
now ready for implementation.  An important first step has been accomplished.
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This work began when, at the first X3D meeting at MIT in June, 1987,
Digital Equipment Corporation and Sun Microsystems, Inc. jointly proposed
that a protocol be defined based upon an initial working draft developed
by Digital.  This draft was influenced by comments from professional
colleagues.  We recognize especially the authors of that first document:
Randi J. Rost, Jeffrey Friedberg, Jeffrey S. Saltz, Pete Nishimoto, and
William H. Clifford, Jr., all of Digital Equipment Corporation.  They
provided a head start for this major undertaking.
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We owe a major debt to the PEX architecture team which met frequently
from June, 1987 till November, 1987 to argue and debate.  In addition,
daily interchange was carried out via electronic mail.  They studied
and resolved all the issues and have published this document.  We thank
the PEX architecture team:
.DS
	Jeffrey Friedberg		\fIDigital Equipment Corp.\fP
	Dave Gorgen		\fIApollo Computer Inc.\fP
	Tom Gross			\fIApollo Computer Inc.\fP
	Marty Hess			\fISun Microsystems\fP
	John McConnell		\fIDigital Equipment Corp.\fP (AT Secretary)
	Pete Nishimoto		\fIDigital Equipment Corp.\fP (AT Secretary)
	Randi J. Rost		\fIDigital Equipment Corp.\fP
	Jeffrey S. Saltz		\fIDigital Equipment Corp.\fP
	Jeff Stevenson		\fIHewlett-Packard\fP
	Jim Van Loo		\fISun Microsystems\fP
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Several members of the X3D group provided useful comments to the 
PEX architecture team.  We note especially the contributions of
Jim Michener of Apollo Computer Inc., and Branko Gerovac, Todd
Newman, and Raymond Drewry of Digital Equipment Corporation who attended
several architecture team meetings and provided counsel.
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Robert Scheifler, Director of the X Consortium at M.I.T., provided
invaluable critique and advice that ensured that our efforts conformed
to the spirit and definition of the X Window System.
.LP
To Randi Rost, the PEX Document Editor, go the thanks of all, for
translating all the decisions into the written word.
Thanks also to the individuals that worked on the X11, PHIGS, and PHIGS+
specification documents, from which some PEX descriptions were obtained.
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As your chairman, and therefore on your behalf, I thank all who
contributed to this document.  A job well done!  The next step:  We
await the implementation of the PEX protocol.  Some work has already begun.

.ID 4.0i
Bertram Herzog
X3D Chairman
14-Dec-1987
.DE
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