Event-driven GUIs, PythonWorks, Boa, wxWindows; future directions of event-driven Python?

[Ron Stephens]

I am taking a week's vacation the week after next. I plan to spend this
week trying to learn event-driven programming using Python. I would sure
appreciate any comments or guidance from folks on this list, so that I
hopefully can make productive use of my time. I admit to being a little
confused or overwhelmed by the many options available to me.

I am very happy with my learning of Python as a procedural language. I
have committed the core language to memory and can program at will
without consulting documentation. I am learning to use  library modules.
I have never been this successful with any other programming language. I
have limited time due to job related travel (I do not work in IT in any
way; this is I suppose a hobby, albeit it is becoming a serious one.).

I have not been successful heretonow in gui or event driven programming
. Learning and using Tkinter is much harder for me that procedural
Python. I am doing fine on classes and object oriented Python also, but
not event driven programing. Some of the options available to me that I
am aware of are: (I am programming on a Windows 98 machine).

1. Tkinter and wxPython. I have not been too successful with Tkinter,
but I do not rule it out. I have just begun to look at wxPython. Does
anyone think wxPython is easier to learn and use than Tkinter, or about
the same?

2. Boa Constructor and wxPython. I have downloaded Boa and it looks
complicated, but I like the idea of a VisualBasic like gui designer. Is
Boa far enough along to be used? Any comments on Boa?

3. PythonWorks. I just downloaded the evaluation copy. OK, it costs
$395, a lot of money to pay for a hobbyist. However, if it were the
answer to my prayers and far better, as a gui painter, than any other
alternative, I guess I would consider it. Does anyone have experience
with Pythonware and could you comment? I am really mainly interested in
the gui painter.

4. theKompany's BlackAdder. Same as above. For some reason, I seem  more
favorably inclined towards Pythonware, btu I don't know why ;-)) Anyone
have any experience with BlackAdder and can you comment?

5. I am vaguely aware of other alternatives such as qt toolkits, gtk
toolkits, etc.

6. Java based solutions. I am successful in getting my scripts to run
under Jython. I am a little, just a little, familiar with Java and the
JVM's. It occurs to me that there may be Java based gui painters that I
could use as a front end to connect to jython based programs? A few
years ago I used a Sun product called Java Studio that fell in this
category; I like Java Studio, but Sun discontinued it. Are there any
open source or even commercial products I should consider?

7. Someone on the list mentioned they use Jbuilder from Borland as a gui
painter for their Python programs. Hmmm, Jbuilder has a boxed package
for sale much cheaper than even Pythonworks ;-))) Any comments pro or
con???? I doubt that this would fit my definition of "easy" to learn and
to use, but who knows???

I would appreciate any comments. Python's ease of learning and ease of
use opens new doors for "low IQ" programmers like myself. But much that
one might wish to do involves event-driven programming, and Python does
not yet, it seems to me, offer the same ease of use in this arena. But I
keep searching and hoping. Event driven programming is awful important
and it would be nice if Python's core advantages could somehow extend
into this area.

I would prefer to stick to a solution that is as much Python-like as
possible, but a jython-Java GUI solution is also of interest. Maybe I
will try one of each.

I think this whole topic of discussions of interest to many newbie's and
programming hobbyists, not just to myself. A successful address to this
"problem" could seriously propel Python even further as an educational
and first-learning language. I would really enjoy a discussion of pros
and cons and possible directions to explore, both now and also in the
future, if anyone can predict future directions of even-driven GUI
programming and Python. ;-))))

Ron Stephens