[Edu-sig] Learn to Program in Ten Years

[Kirby Urner]

> Well I guess I thinking that the investment in learning GTK/Gnome has
> more potential far-reaching benefit. wxPython - and I am not being
> denigrating in the slightest - is more the big fish in the littlish
> Python pond.
> 

I haven't reached this conclusion myself.  Wx is not a Python technology.
It's a C++ library, and a lot of C++ coders use it from within C++.  Then
you have bindings from other languages, like Python.  wxPython is one of
these projects.  Bittorrent is one of those wildly popular Python
applications that uses it.

At the OSCONs I've managed to attend (2003, 2004), wxPython attracted a high
degree of interest and attendance.  We've seen some exciting completed works
making use of it.  I've not seen similar enthusiasm for pyGTK.  This might
be the big-fish-in-a-small-pond syndrome, but, as I mentioned, I'm not ready
to form a judgment along those lines.

Part of what gives me pause is the whole .NET/Mono business.  If managed
code and IronPython become the new way to code GUI apps cross-platform, then
it's the .NET API I should be studying.  Under the hood, that might mean
GTK+ on Linux.  But the API will be essentially the same as Microsoft's.

> I did choose to take wxPython-dev list off my "reply all" since I'm not
> looking to raise hackles, or even defend my choices.
> 

That's fine with me.  I was mainly looking for feedback re the Vpython
concept (any way to integrate that into the wx event loop?).

> The PyGTK thing just happens to be where things are leading me
> personally.  Its partly because VPython on Linux uses GTK and I would
> like to know it better for that reason.  And its partly because ubuntu
> has helped re-ignite a long dormant interest in Linux as a desktop
> working environment, and I see GTK/Gnome as the Big Pond in that
> respect.
> 

This is where my .NET/Mono question surfaces again:  behind Gnome is Ximian
and behind Ximian is Novelle.  And in the middle of it all is Miguel de
Icaza.  

http://www.novell.com/linux/ximian.html

What's Miguel going to do?  I've seen evidence that he's excited by Python.
However, I'm quite distant from the action.  I don't trust myself to have
informed opinions about all this stuff.

> And you in particular will be happy to know that GTK2 *does* have a
> skins feature ;)
> 
> Art
> 

Does it support non-rectangular window-like objects?  In wx, there's a demo
with Tux floating over the desktop, kind of like the my Halflife skin for
the Windows Media Player.  Tux isn't as tough-looking.  But looks can be
deceiving.

Kirby