Re: [boost] GUI foundations (about Boost's position/work on aStandard GUI Library for...)

From: Brian Ravnsgaard Riis (brian_at_[hidden])
Date: 2005-09-28 18:31:05

David W wrote:
> Thanks for the feedback.
> Being "The most commonly requested new feature for C++ ",
> I am very surprise that I got only one response (yours).
> Something doesn't add up.
> 
> "Most debated" or not, inability to reach conclusions is, by itself,
> an inherent problem.
> 
> See more down here.
> 
> 
> "Reece Dunn" <msclrhd_at_[hidden]> wrote in message
> news:BAY101-F230B3798C7C19BD9D8274AA08A0_at_phx.gbl...
> 
>>David Wehite wrote:
>>
>>>In his article "The Design of C++0x", published in C/C++ Users Journal,
> 
> May
> 
>>>2005, the author of C++ Bjarne Stroustrup wrote, "The most commonly
>>>requested new feature for C++ is a standard GUI".
>>
>>And the most debated as to how it would work ;)
>>
>>
>>>I am new to Boost and will appreciate if some folks here would give me a
>>>summary of Boost organization's standing on such a standard GUI library.
> 
> If
> 
>>>and how was it addressed and pointers to work on the subject if such has
>>>been done.
>>
>>I have, as well as many others, have made attempts into this brave new
> 
> world
> 
>>;).
>>
>>I suggest getting the framework right first to allow the support for the
>>GUI/Graphics libraries to be build on top of them.
>>
>>(1) Platform -- detection for what GUI library is being used; native
> 
> (GTK?,
> 
>>PalmOS API, Win32 API, etc.), native extension (ATL/WTL, MFC, GDK+, etc.)
> 
> or
> 
>>cross-platform (wxWidgets, Qt, etc.) and the platform being used for that
>>cross-platform GUI. This could be an extension to Boost.Config with
>>platform/win32.hpp, platform/wxwidgets.hpp, etc.
> 
> 
> I don't understand why you even mention the word "platform". C/C++ were
> born to be (very) portable languages. You would not bring it up with regard
> to the entity called 'int' right?

As noted elsewhere...*I* would, even if Reece wouldn't. And there are 
serious reasons to consider platforms in regard to GUIs.

> Now, when I say "I don't understand", this is of course not accurate
> because...
> (I think at least) I do. Granted that the scale of a type GUI is not anywere
> near
> the scale of 'int'. This does not mean that we should give up on it, just
> because
> "its hard work"... :-). And we should strive to make it platform independent
> like any other part of the language. You don't do any "detection" when you
> use
> any other library.

I really don't think we want standard C++ to have a "builtin" GUI that 
"simply works" on all systems. That makes me think of the Java GUI, 
which works on all systems with a VM, but unfortunately looks like a 
Java app regardless. The Windows GUI behaves slightly different than 
GNOME, and there are quite large differences to OSX from either.

I don't think we want a GUI system where people will say, "Hey look at 
this app; it's obviously written in C++, judging by the UI!"

-- 
  /Brian Riis