[Texmacs-dev] Importants point for GUI porting

[David Allouche]

Joris requirements for GUI toolkit:

  1. Objects must be dynamic. For example, texmacs menus are created
     at runtime. The chosen toolkit must not constrain the possible
     GUI actions to be defined in the source code.

     Yes: GTK, Qt, wxWindows -- Maybe: GNUStep.


  2. Flexible support for pixmap copying, possibly with masks, to/from
     offscreen buffers. That is important for managing font rasters
     and double buffering.

     Yes: GTK, Qt, wxWindows -- Maybe: GNUStep.


  3. Should provide counterpart for most Xlib primitives.

     [David]: I admit that would be helpful but I do not regard this
     as a requirement.

     Yes: GDK -- Maybe: Qt, wxWindows, GNUStep.


  4. There must be a system level way to embed other application.
     Currently, in Xlib, GhostScript is given X window ID to which to
     draw images.

     Maybe: GTK, Qt, wxWindows, GNUStep.


David requirement for GUI toolkit:

  5. Free as in speech on all supported architectures. We do not want
     be at the mercy of shifts in a business strategy.

     Yes: GTK, wxWindows, GNUStep -- No: Qt

  6. Integrates well in the host user environment. Win32 users are
     quite... used... to undesigned applications with revolting GUI
     (*not* saying that texmacs is one), but MacOS users tend to be
     very sensitive to the respect of user interface guidelines.

     Yes: wxWindows (it seems), Qt -- Maybe: GNUStep -- No: GTK

  7. Nice integration with a portable system abstraction layer is a
     plus, since it can make it easier to make the program truly-cross
     platform.

     Yes: Qt, GNUStep (system abstraction built-in)
     Maybe: GTK, wxWindows (with GNU Common C++, maybe?)

  8. Complete, understandable and up to date documentation

     Yes: Qt -- Maybe: GNUStep -- No: GTK, wxWindows


Other question. On MacOS, do we want MacOSX support or mere MacOS
Classic support?

MacOS X is quite new and is maybe not supported by all toolkits, though
it is the future, and is a real Unix. One the other hand, MacOS
Classic is probably more supported, but it is only legacy now, and by
the time we have a cross-platform TeXmacs, it will probably be a bit
zombieware.

-- 

                             -- David --