[Edu-sig] would you use PythonCard?

[fred@ontosys.com]

On Thu, Aug 30, 2001 at 11:45:10AM -0700, Kevin Altis wrote:
> PythonCard is more than a GUI builder, but even so, why would you 'Yawn'?
> I'm curious what you currently use with Python.

I mostly use Python for command-line applications.  Where I've wanted
a GUI, tkInter has been OK (but not great).

If PythonCard turns out to be an effective GUI builder platform, I'm
interested.  But not interested enough right now to play with alpha
software that has no obvious order-of-magnitude improvement over the
status quo.

That said, my "yawn" was disrespectful.  Sorry.

> The question becomes what would be exciting?

I would be excited by a system similar to DiSessa's "Boxer"
application.  Boxer only works on the Apple Macintosh, completely
blocking me from using it at home and from offering to teach using it
at my sons' grade school.  Maybe PythonCard is heading in Boxer's
direction; I couldn't tell from the documentation I could find.  I'll
stay tuned.

The description your latest message gave of PythonCard was helpful.
The PythonCard website would benefit from content like that.

> > So, I wait for the project to mature a bit and provide more useful
> > information about its goals.
> 
> The project is still 'alpha'. The reason I'm actively promoting it is to
> make sure that it has an audience once it goes beyond alpha.

You may have to bootstrap the project a bit more to where you can
"sell" it more effectively.  As it stands, it's hard for me to justify
spending much time on it.  SourceForge is full of projects that have
withered in the "alpha" stage -- I've created several myself.  The
fact that you're spending the time to champion PythonCard in these
messages is a good sign.  There's too much interesting stuff out there
to get by on "build it and they will come".

-- 
Fred Yankowski           fred@OntoSys.com      tel: +1.630.879.1312
Principal Consultant     www.OntoSys.com       fax: +1.630.879.1370
OntoSys, Inc             38W242 Deerpath Rd, Batavia, IL 60510, USA