DN587321233

Subject: Re: Which GUI? - DN [1]

claird@starbase.neosoft.com (Cameron Laird) - 18 Feb 2000 - comp.lang.python

 In article <slrn8aqro9.olj.grant@grante.comtrol.com>,
 Grant Edwards <grant@nowhere.> wrote:
 >In article <hYdr4.955$Jz3.33170@nnrp1.uunet.ca>, Warren Postma wrote:
 >
 >>2. If Python is so much better than Tcl, why does Python require the
 >>   Tcl interpreter be running to get Tkinter going?
 >
 >Because it's easier that way.  STk is a Scheme interpreter
 >bound directly to Tk (sans Tcl).  It's a nice way to do things,
 >but everytime Tk changes you've got to muck about to get the
 >binding to work again.  By leving Tcl in, it makes upgrading to
 >new versions of Tk easier.
 >
 >Leaving Tcl in is a pragmatic solution, even though it doesn't
 >appeal to the minimalist in me.
             .
             .
             .
 I'll slightly extend Grant's points.
 1.  Everyone's known forever that a binding to the low-level
     Tk API is technically feasible, and a sufficiently moti-
     vated person can do it.  We can tentatively conclude that
     Tkinter is "good enough" as as Guido hath wrought it, be-
     cause that motivation hasn't made an appearance in real
     life.
 2.  There's some hope that Tk will become even easier to use
     in the future, as initiatives such as the Tcl Extension
     Architecture (TEA) promise to loosen the couplings between
     versions and extensions even further.
 --

 Cameron Laird <claird@NeoSoft.com>
 Business:  http://www.Phaseit.net
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