[Pythonmac-SIG] Re: visual python

[Chris Barker]

> >I seem to recall some notice a few months back that work was underway on a
> >"visual python" built with RealBasic (I think), which makes me think maybe
> >it was Mac only (?). I don't recal the name of the product of where the web
> >site was I read more info about. Am I imagining things or is there such a
> >product? Any idea on the due date if so?
> 
> "Viper" was the name, I believe, and the name of the company and
> possibly website was "Viperware". I checked their site a while ago
> and they had some nice screenshots but the the thing was obviously in
> early stages as yet.


If is was built, it _could_ be windows also, as RealBasic can build
Windows executables. I don't believe you can develop with Real Basic on
Windows, however, and it doesn't work on any other platforms.

Besides being "Viperware", it kind of seemed like a doomed idea. Real
Basic is itself an object oriented interpretted language. Adding that
overhead to Python seemed a bit odd. Also, we've looked into Real Basic,
and it is extendable, but it is far more awkward to extend than Python.
 
A far more promising project is "Boa Constructor"
(http://Boa-Constructor.sourceforge.net/). It is a GUI RAD (similar to
Delphi, I understand) based on (and built with) Python and wxPython. It
is not yet quite usable, but it is under active development, and looks
very nifty.

wxPython is a set of Python wrappers around wxWindows, which is a
cross-platform GUI class library, that currently works for Windows, Un*x
(GTK), Un*x(Motif) and Macintosh. Other platforms are und3er development
as well (OS/2, BE-OS, etc). wxPython itself is currently only completely
functional for Windows and Un*x-GTK, but the developer, Robin Dunn, is
working on adding the Mac to the list. I quote from his web page:

"""
I have been getting quite a few requests for wxPython on a Mac. I have
been quite eager to fulfill this request but it has been a little
difficult considering I don't have a Mac. I think that Mac support will
be very strategically important for wxPython. In my mind it's one of the
few roadblocks for wxPython becoming the de-facto standard GUI tool for
Python. 

Guido himself had this to say: "This is about the only cross-platform
GUI toolkit that works on the Mac besides Tk (most of the new Linux
offerings are "cross-platform" meaning Unix and Windows...). Please help
this guy!" 

UPDATE:Thanks to Sam Schulenberg I now have a Mac G4 to play with. Now I
just have to find the time to play. 
"""

You heard Guido! let's help this guy!!

see (http://www.wxpython.org/) for more info.


I think it's very important for Python's future as a whole, and
MacPython in particular, that there continues to be good Mac support for
the various cross platform Python modules. I good cross-platform GUI
toolkit is critical, and tk just doesn't seem to cut it. Another bonus
is that if we get a Mac wxPython, we get Boa constuctor as well!

I've been using wxPython on Linux for a little bit now, and I really
like it. I'm hoping and praying that we'll be able to get a Mac version
going. I'm hoping to help with the effort, but I'm pretty weak on the
required skills at the moment.

-Chris


-- 
Christopher Barker,
Ph.D.                                                           
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