From: MikkelFJ <mikkelfj-anti-spam@...>
Date: 2002-08-10T07:25:00+09:00
Subject: Re: Suggestion for which Linux + Windows GUI API to code to?


"Harry Ohlsen" <harryo@zip.com.au> wrote in message
news:200208100752.05143.harryo@zip.com.au...
> I'm about to start helping a friend of mine learn Ruby by building a small
GUI
> database application he needs.
>
> We're both interested in having it run on Windows & Linux.  Also, since he
> only runs Windows and I only run Linux, that would mean I could help him
with
> the project.
>
> So, I'd be interested to hear whether anyone has had good/bad experiences
with
> any of the cross-platform GUIs that have Ruby interfaces.
>

I have (superficially) been looking at a lot of GUI libraries to find one
that would be a good general tool. It appears to me that something GTK'ish
is best on Linux and something dot net'ish is best on Windows for the time
being, unless you can afford Qt.

If you want something for both platforms with decent runtime and footprint,
it appears that the Fox toolkit is one of the best choices around. And it's
in the Ruby distribution as FxRuby. Haven't tried it on Windows, and
sometimes it seems at bit unstable on Windows, but I think the latter is
mostly related to software note correctly installed.
There is also the much larger VxWindows, but it has no Ruby hook.

Anyway, if you and your friend do choose to use FxRuby, I'd very much like
to hear how it works out - and also if you choose something else for that
matter.

> I'm mainly interested in: (1) how "Ruby Way"-ish APIs feel, (2) whether
you

FxRuby is probably not really Ruby'ish all the way through, although Lyle
Johnson has added some Ruby Tao to it. Still it appears to be the best
choice.

Mikkel