[Python-Dev] Event loops, PyOS_InputHook, and Tkinter

[Michiel Jan Laurens de Hoon]

Martin v. Löwis wrote:

> Michiel Jan Laurens de Hoon wrote:
>
>> 2) Will Tkinter always be the standard toolkit for Python, or are 
>> there plans to replace it at some point?
>
>
> Python does not evolve along a grand master plan. Instead, individual
> contributors propose specific modifications, e.g. through PEPs.

At this point, I can't propose a specific modification yet because I 
don't know the reasoning that went behind the original choice of Tk as 
the default GUI toolkit for Python (and hence, I don't know if those 
reasons are still valid today). I can see one disadvantage (using Tk 
limits our options to run an event loop for other Python extensions), 
and I am trying to find out why Tk was deemed more appropriate than 
other GUI toolkits anyway.

So let me rephrase the question: What is the advantage of Tk in 
comparison to other GUI toolkits? Is it Mac availability? More advanced 
widget set? Installation is easier? Portability? Switching to a 
different GUI toolkit would break too much existing code? I think that 
having the answer to this will stimulate further development of 
alternative GUI toolkits, which may give some future Python version a 
toolkit at least as good as Tk, and one that doesn't interfere with 
Python's event loop capabilities.

--Michiel.

-- 
Michiel de Hoon
Center for Computational Biology and Bioinformatics
Columbia University
1150 St Nicholas Avenue
New York, NY 10032