[Pythonmac-SIG] Re: Tkinter support for Carbon - I give up.

[Chris Barker]

Martin Miller wrote:
> Before I cast a vote, can someone tell me if there's an alternative way
> to create Python programs with a portable GUI? "Portable" here meaning
> same things runs on Unix, Carbon MacOS, and 32-bit Windows.

Kari-Hans Kommonen wrote:
> But of course, a cross-platform solution is necessary as well. Maybe
> there could be two paths?
 
> I have to say that the Tkinter has really turned off my enthusiasm
> for python for any apps that need a gui. I believe it is a benefit
> for the language and especially the mac version if there is a more
> pronounced need to invent some other solution.

I've never like TKinter either, particularly on the Mac. The other
options in the running for X-platform GUIs with Python are:

PyQT:

TrollTech is supporting OS-X. PyQT could be coming for OS-X. Like
wxPython, the limitation here is that the PyQT developer does not have a
Mac, or Mac experience. Also, QT is pretty expensive to use, so
TrollTech will hopefully allow PyQT to be used for free on OS-X, like
the Windows version is.

PyGTK:
I have no idea what the status of GTK on the Mac is. I know it can be
used under OS-X, with an X-server; not exactly the native solution we
all would like. There is some hope for a more native port, but I'm sure
it's a long way in the future.

wxPython:
Here I think there is real promise. wxWindows, the C++ toolkit that
wxPython is based on has seen a great deal of Mac development in the
last year, and I understand it is in pretty good shape on the Mac (I
havn't tried it, I try to avoid C++). It is carbon based, and thus runs
on OS 8.6+ and OS-X.

wxPython for OS-X has seen a lot of work recently as well. It's still
not quite there, but it is seeing active development. At the moment, I
think everyone working on it is doing only OS-X, but as both Python and
wxWindows are Carbon based, and run on OS < X, it should be possible to
get it working there as well, and the wxMac developer has said that it
is important to him that it does, so I think once the OS-X port is
working, the OS < X one will come along as well. Again, I havn't tried
it, I'm not running OS-X yet.

So, the answer is that TK is the only solution that works now, but only
as well as it does. Personally, I like wxPython quite a bit, I am using
it fairly extensively on Linux and Windows, and waiting with eager
anticipation for the Mac version. I really don't have the C++ or MAC
programming skills to contribute, but I'll be doing a lot of testing as
soon as there is a OS<X version to test. wxPython has the most promise,
and I hope anyone that has the time as skills to contribute will
consider helping out the effort. See:

www.wxpython.org
www.wxwindows.org

for more info.

PyQT looks pretty promising as well, if you don't mind OS-X only, and
you don't mind a less-than-completely free solution.

-Chris


-- 
Christopher Barker, Ph.D.
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