[boost] Re: Java style GUI in C++

From: Edward Diener (eddielee_at_[hidden])
Date: 2004-08-20 21:48:08

Hurd, Matthew wrote:
>> Behalf Of David Turner
>> Sent: Friday, 20 August 2004 3:32 AM
>> To: boost_at_[hidden]
>> Subject: RE: [boost] Java style GUI in C++
>>
>>> I am currently designing a GUI framework in C++ (initially
>>> targeting the
>>> Windows platform) that uses a model similar to that which
>>> Java uses in it's
>>> AWT and Swing libraries. Specifically:
>>
>> [snip]
>>
>>> I would appreciate comments and ideas as to what people would
>>> like out of a
>>> GUI framework, especially one that will be multi-platform.
>>>
>>
>> Boost-style C++ GUI library utilizing boost::signals and with a nice
> way
>> of handling message loops:
>>
>> http://cxxgui.sf.net/
>
> Looks like a very nice conservative approach.  I think you're wise to
> keep it simple and take a conservative c++ approach.  Only trouble is
> it
> still feels like a lot of other things just shines a bit brighter and
> has cleaner lines.
>
> However I must say I've never seen a UI lib I've been happy with.  Nor
> have I written one, or infrastructure that uses one, that I've been
> fond
> of.

Borland's C++ Builder was very nice, but of course it wasn't standard C++.
VC++ Managed C++ .NET is very nice but it is even further away from standard
C++. In neither do you have to write hundreds of lines of code to do any GUI
programming of significance. In order to have a really top-rate C++ GUI
library I believe one needs reflection in C++ in order to do the sort of
easy RAD programming which C++ Builder and Managed C++ .NET provide.
Needless to say, both use extensions to C++ to do reflection. This is not a
knock on any of the GUI libraries mentioned, but after using C++ Builder and
Managed C++ .NET, even despite their non-C++-isms, most C++ GUI libraries
are very primitive by contrast.