🚀 go-pugleaf

In article <m2rahikdh6.fsf_-_@linux.worldnet.fr>, glaurent@worldnet.NO.SPAM.fr wrote:

> nurban@sps1.phys.vt.edu (Nathan Urban) writes:

> > Consider supporting the GNUstep (GNU OpenStep) project:

> >      http://www.nmr.embl-heidelberg.de/GNUstep/

> or
> 	http://www.gnustep.org
> 
> (main site, the EMBL one is the European mirror).


Yes, that's the preferred site.  However, the gnustep.org domain is
currently down (forgot to pay the InterNIC fee), but will be back up
soon.

> Cons : GNUStep is *huge*, even though it's far from
> complete.

Yes, that's the main disadvantage.  However, I'd like to see the free
Unixes move over to a unified API..  the lighter-weight alternatives
don't provide equivalent functionality, so if you want everything to use
the same libraries, you want to use something with a maximal feature set.
Shared libraries help, but it's true that you'll want a decent amount of
RAM.

GNUstep is a lot nicer than other large libraries, like Motif, IMHO.  It
has the best size/functionality ratio around.  And GNUstep is more than
just a GUI widget library, it has base classes like the stuff you get in
the STL, a unified means of doing interapplication communication
(cut&paste, drag&drop, services, etc.)

> Installing it isn't a piece o'cake, you first have to patch
> gcc 2.7.2 and to install the pthreads library. Then there's the whole
> Display PostScript system. Then 3 *big* libs, the base, the GUI and
> the X-DPS backend.

True, but I expect it'll get a lot easier to install once it's out of
alpha stages.  I forsee nice RPMs and such.  It's not going to get any
smaller, though.

> There is a "lighter" version called NSXKit (also still being
> developped), which calls the Xlib directly, no DPS backend.

Yup.  Disadvantage is that if you want to create custom views, you'll
have to either support Xlib and DPS versions, or just have DPS-only
versions.

> Pros : what is already done looks *very* promising, and it's improving
> fast. Also, Objective C is a language well worth taking a look at,
> which lets you very easily do things which you can only dream of in
> C++, while being much more simple. It's a shame this language isn't
> used more.

Agreed.
-- 
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Nathan Urban  | Undergrad {CS,Physics,Math} |        Virginia Tech
nurban@vt.edu |  {NeXT,MIME} mail welcome   | http://nurban.campus.vt.edu/
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