[Texmacs-dev] Re: [TeXmacs] Announcement: TeXmacs.app for MacOS X Tiger

[David MENTRE]

Hello,

[ Follow-up on texmacs-dev@ as it is more a development issue. ]

Juan Pablo Romero <address@hidden> writes:

>[ Joris: ]
>> For the new graphics mode, Henri and I are indeed considering changing
>> the underlying libraries. Cairo and OpenGL are both good candidates.

Cairo is just a drawing library and does not have widget with native
look and feel of the platform. 

OpenGL has the same issues as Cairo and moreover does not run on all
platforms (think PDA and broken graphic card drivers).

>> We might also want to opt for an abstract layer (like the current
>> ps_device) with different implementations.

Would this abstract layer be used for GUI drawing (menus, scroll-bars,
etc.) or only for text and graphic rendering?

In fact, it seems to me that there are two different cases to consider:

 - the GUI (menus, ...) that should be done using a well known toolkit,
   Qt 4 being a very good candidate;

 - the drawing area, for text and graphics rendering on different media
   (screen, PDF, PS, ...). From what I have eared, Cairo seems to suite
   the needs (works on Windows, Unix and MacOS X, abstraction of medium)
   but others might have a more knowledged position.

> Please, please, please, consider using Qt 4.
>
> 1. Multiplataform

With native look and feel on each one of them.

> 2. Free

GNU GPL.

> 3. Excelent API
> 4. Very good docs.

Yes, from what I have seen, Qt is well documented.

> 5. Language bindings

Well, not so sure but anyway TeXmacs and Qt are both using C++.

> 6. Excelent widget editor
> 7. Easy integration with kde (wich means kioslaves, etc)
> 8. Good looks
> 9. Many people already familiar with it, wich means more workforce.
> 10. Did I mentioned the widget editor?
>
> In particular, don't underestimate (6) + (9). I'd myself contributed
> some code (more dialogs, etc) if only I could use the widget editor
> (like, in half an hour you can layout a dialog).

I never used Qt widget editor but from my own use of GTK's Glade to
prepare dialogs, a graphical dialog editor saves hours of work.

I'm on the side of Juan but maybe Henri and Joris could detail more
precisely the exact needs of TeXmacs.

That's said, coders providing real patch should have the last word. ;-)

Best wishes,
d.
-- 
pub  1024D/A3AD7A2A 2004-10-03 David MENTRE <address@hidden>
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