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

From: Vladimir Prus (ghost_at_[hidden])
Date: 2004-08-23 01:14:29

Hi Reece,
> 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]

It seems that what you're at is a full-blown standalone C++ GUI library. 
Maybe, it's good goal, but there a lot of toolkits already. I think it's not 
likely that just a new library will find a lot of users. If somebody has Qt 
or GTK application, he won't rewrite it just because your library is cleaner 
or better in some other way.

But I think it's possible to create something with some chance for success. 
It's portable GUI library which *integrates* with existing toolkits. So that, 
you can create a widget using new library and plug that widget into existing 
application.

For example, you want to visualise a graph. You code the algorithm using 
boost::gui and then the resulting boost::graph::layout library should be 
usable in all toolkits supported by boost::gui. If that's the case, than 
using boost::gui becomes very attractive.

The specific interface is not important. Just for example:

  boost::gui::widget w = canvas_view(300, 300);
  make_qt_widget(w, parent);

Thoughts?

- Volodya