GUIs - A Modest Proposal

[Jeff Hobbs]

On Jun 6, 2:11 pm, rantingrick <rantingr... at gmail.com> wrote:
> On Jun 6, 2:06 pm, Mark Lawrence <breamore... at yahoo.co.uk> wrote:
> > On 06/06/2010 16:31, rantingrick wrote:
>
> > > On Jun 5, 9:22 pm, ant<shi... at uklinux.net>  wrote:
>
> > >> I ask the group; should we try to create a new GUI for Python, with
> > >> the following
> > >> properties?:
>
> > >> - Pythonic
> > >> - The default GUI (so it replaces Tkinter)
> > >> - It has the support of the majority of the Python community
> > >> - Simple and obvious to use for simple things
> > >> - Comprehensive, for complicated things
> > >> - Cross-platform
> > >> - Looks good (to be defined)
> > >> - As small as possible in its default form
>
> > > Yes i one hundred percent agree! The only problem is i am the only
> > > one! Good luck finding others to climb into this boat. From the
> > > beginning there has has been this really weird love-hate relationship
> > > with Tkinter in the Python community. I myself experience this
> > > emotional attachment every day as i wish for Tkinter to be more
> > > "pretty" and "feature-rich" whilst at the same time loving it's
> > > simplicity. Tkinter seems to be Python's whipping boy and nobody wants
> > > to whip another, so we are stuck in limbo with a lobotomy.
>
> > > Heres an idea though, why not expand Tkinter with some new really cool
> > > widgets...? Hmmm...? That TIX package is a real PITA and could use a
> > > re-write. Can you believe it took until py3.0 for Tkinter to get a
> > > combobox :-O! Yea i know! :'-(
>
> > Patches are welcome at any time.  I look forward to seeing your first
> > contribution.
>
> > Kindest regards.
>
> > Mark Lawrence.
>
> Hello Mark,
>
> Are you maintaining Tkinter or Tix or both? There is a nagging issue
> with Tix that needs fixing. Upon subbclassing some widgets and when
> using the import Tix and import Tix as *. Maybe it is already fixed in
> 3.0 (i have not checked) but we need to fix it.
>
> I am still currently rewriting Tkinter Tix and IDLE in my spare time
> but got a bit busy lately. Anyhoo, i would really like to bring some
> patches, upgrades, and just a general spit shining to the entire three-
> plexx so let me know.

I am not a Tkinter maintainer, but I am one of the core Tk and Tix
maintainers (having also completely revamped Tix a couple of years ago
for better long-term stability and compatibility).  If you have fixes
that are relevant there, I can integrate them.  I should note that
much of Tix has been subsumed or replaced by better equivalents in the
core of Tk.  That said, it assumes you know and are using Tk 8.5.
I've seen a lot of FUD on Tk in this thread, and much of it is a
decade old perspective.  Tk 8.5 does have native themed widgets (using
Win32, Carbon or Cocoa, and X11, though also with plugins to gtk and
qt).  I'd have to explore more into Tkinter to see where anybody
derives value from Tix in current programs.

In any case, the basic mantra for Tix is new development should avoid
it, but existing development should work fine.  New development should
leverage the good work of Guilherme Polo in making the Tk 8.5 core
themed widgets available in Tkinter.

Jeff