RE: [boost] Re: C++ GUI - another view

From: David Bergman (davidb_at_[hidden])
Date: 2004-09-15 11:12:09

Andy wrote:

> The other concern may simply be the perceived complexity of templates.

No, the *actual* complexity. Most "GUI" programmers happen to be quite
junior, and templates are tricky. Types not consisting of one simple lexeme
are complex. [And typedef's do not save that...]

Not that very senior developers do not do GUI, but that is not their typical
chores at a firm, and when they do they put themselves in "GUI mode,"
meaning that they often set aside their code aesthetics.

Regular programmers cannot use templates more than via very simple patterns,
such as smart pointers (actullay popularized via Microsoft's Active Template
Library, I think), and they can certainly not create their own templates. I
have interviewed about a hundred "expert C++ programmer" (from the
resume...) of which three (3) had ever created his/her/its own template, and
zero (0) had ever used either templates as template parameters or nested
template instantiations.

I would love to see a GUI library that is for those who have not only dipped
their toe into the strange, but beautiful, waters of generic, and
generative, programming, but for those who can actually swim in it. Ok, it
would not get a "wide" appeal. So, what? If we looked for that, we already
have a bunch of solutios to choose from. We have all used Tk, or wrappers
thereof. Most of us have used Qt, I think. Note that the "wide" market does
not care about platform-agnosticism.

/David