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Mail Archives: djgpp/1999/04/14/21:04:41

Message-ID: <009301be86db$fd8ba5e0$af52989e@default>
From: "Arron Shutt" <version8 AT ashutt DOT demon DOT co DOT uk>
To: <djgpp AT delorie DOT com>
Subject: Re: DJGPP: the future is... forward?
Date: Thu, 15 Apr 1999 01:38:02 +0100
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Reply-To: djgpp AT delorie DOT com

>> 12. Visual GCC?
>> port some Object Oriented GUI library
>>
>> I know about wxWindows - A Free C++ GUI toolkit for Motif, Open Look,
>> Windows 3.1, Windows 95 and Windows NT. I have version 1.68 but newest
>> is 2.0 at minimum.

>But you need a GUI!, wxWindows is just a wrapper to allow portability.
>Currently Allegro doesn't have a serious GUI finished.


There is a better looking version called Silencer to replace the Allegro GUI
routines, but they still seem to be the same ones. Allegro GUI routines are
wonderfully clean and simple, but there are a couple of controls which could
be added which I need, such as a memo box (editable text box which supports
multiple lines) and a grid control would be helpful..I suppose if I get
time, I could try and add them..

Perhaps I'm getting things confused here but there seems to be two points
rolled into one.

The GUI for DOS applications was supposed to offer basic functional
windowing and controls for graphics and text mode (if needed). I've noticed
that GUI tend to have the same controls pop up again and again, so by
producing a library which supports a single application (no program
switching, multiple resolutions) This can be used to give a professional
interface for the DOS versions of the proposed free software apps. It should
be able to mesh with Allegro as well, so people can use the library with
that..if they feel a need..

The GTK toolkit written for Linux seems to have all of the basic controls,
it is written in C, and using the API (or a set of it) would make porting
Gnome-Based apps to  Windows based X/Gnome  and  Mini-Gnome easier having a
common interface..This was a thought on my part which would give us some
support from Gnome developers and vice versa. You may disagree with using
Gnome as a model, but since it is the Gnu project's interface of choice,
fully GPL'ed and runs Gnumeric, I thought that it would make life easy for
us following a standard..rather than inventing one of our own..

Because of widget simularity, The Visual interface builder would be able to
generate files for most windowing systems, which would speed porting of GUI
based programs...which would free up effort to concentrate on the platform
specific code. If the global design needed a interface change, it should be
therefore quite easy to change all of the versions in development with
little or no distruption..

---
Arron Shutt
version8 AT ashutt DOT demon DOT co DOT uk -- www.ashutt.demon.co.uk
"You can jump all you like but it's the day of the cow" - Mike Keneally





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