Re: [dev] Suckless Laser GUI

From: Nick <suckless-dev_AT_njw.me.uk>
Date: Tue, 2 Jul 2013 16:20:24 +0100

> > On 7/2/13, David <admin_AT_dav1d.de> wrote:
> >> Am 02.07.2013 09:46, schrieb Edgaras:
> >>> On Tue, Jul 02, 2013 at 08:11:36AM +0200, David wrote:
> >>>> Am 02.07.2013 07:08, schrieb Edgaras:
> >>>>> I think you should reconsider tk, though you need to install tcl and tk,
> >>>>> tk is
> >>>>> quite nice to work with (with exception of some small hiccups), and if
> >>>>> you have
> >>>>> a cli for controlling everything it should wrap around it quite well.
> >>>>>
> >>>> I personally find Tk horrible.
> >>>>
> >>> Horible in what way? Apart from web crap. what are alternatives to
> >>> quickly
> >>> creating guis? Especially when you just need wrapper around some cli
> >>> tool?
> >>>
> >> It looks like crap on every platform, the api is painful (even though
> >> defenitly not the worst I have ever seen).
> >> I would probably go with Gtk if it has to be C (or my own, -> OpenGL).
> >> If you have e.g. python, I'd use wx and if I really need advanced
> >> controls and a highly dynamic GUI, Qt.
> >> Tk has none of the advantages each of the "3 Major" (gtk, wx, Qt),
> >> additionally (as mentioned before), it looks like crap on every platform.

I also disagree with your assesment of Tk, David. If you want
widgets that look native, the ttk stuff does that, and you can't
tell them apart from official 'native' GUI stuff. That said I've
never used ttk, because I like the simplicity of the old API, and tk
8.5 looks pretty to me, at least on Linux.

Tcl/Tk is a really nice, smooth environment for GUI programming -
it's designed by smart people who do things right, and as tcl and tk
are so intertwined everything fits together pretty naturally. I
suspect if you find the API painful you just need to spend a bit
more time playing with tcl.

If I was the OP I'd use a little Tcl/Tk program which calls the C
command stuff as appropriate, using pipes if it needs feedback.
That's what I do with my getxbook[0] GUI, and it works nicely.

I don't understand why there is a reluctance to the dynamic nature
of tcl/tk in the original requirements; I doubt tcl/tk would be much
slower than something like GTK or Qt, and given its simple and well
designed base it's an order of magnitude less buggy and smaller.

Otherwise, as someone else mentioned, EFL may fit, though I haven't
used it myself. swk also looks great, but it needs someone to use it
and contribute patches, as I understand.

0. http://njw.me.uk/getxbook/
Received on Tue Jul 02 2013 - 17:20:24 CEST

This archive was generated by hypermail 2.3.0 : Tue Jul 02 2013 - 17:24:05 CEST