C++/C#/Java/Python for Large Scale GUI Programming?

[jsmidt]

I don't want to start a flamewar. But I really could use some other opinions.

I want to start creating some GUI projects that hopefully one day will be fairly large scale with contributions of several other programmers and be around for many years.

Assuming I can pull that off, what language, between C++/C#/Java/Python, do you think would be best to use for the project. Please be objective and specific about these concerns:

1. Which language is best suited for a large scale GUI project?

2. Which language will probably be most used in the future for GUI programming?

3. Which language will be best supported in the future?

4. Which language will be the best for cross-platform computing? (Keep future in mind.)

5. Which language will make contributing programmers happiest to use?

6. Anything else I should know.

Thanks.

[LaRoza]

1. Which language is best suited for a large scale GUI project?

2. Which language will probably be most used in the future for GUI programming?

3. Which language will be best supported in the future?

4. Which language will be the best for cross-platform computing? (Keep future in mind.)

5. Which language will make contributing programmers happiest to use?

6. Anything else I should know.

0. A mix. C (for example) for the intensive bits and Python (for example) for the rest.

1. My crystal balls says higher level languages

2. Java, Python, C, C++, Perl, etc (Try not to use proprietary languages)

3. Java, Python

4. See all languages above

5. The language is not really important in this regard. OpenOffice uses Java a lot, Oblivion (a large RPG) uses C and Python. Use what works and what you are willing to learn.

* Python can be replaces with Perl and Ruby in the above list.

[GoCool]

1. Which language is best suited for a large scale GUI project?

Some RAD tools which is stable. I heard of GAMBAS but never got a chance to work on it, its a.k.a Visual Basic of Microsoft.

2. Which language will probably me most used in the future for GUI programming.

Specifically for GUI I am not sure, but C/C++ is the time tested language which was, will and always be there. Every one comes up with their libraries to re-use. But it's not easy to program and maintain as the bulk increases. May be JAVA then.

3. Which language will be best supported in the future?

You can never know unless future happens. But again C/C++ will be always there. Even though M$ is pushing C#, I am not sure whether they will create a CLR (Common Language Runtime) for Linux. But plain vanilla C/C++ is not a good GUI tool. You have to get a good IDE to go along with it, with plenty of re usable libraries. But still it wouldnt be a RAD (Rapid Application Development) tool.

4. Which language will be the best for cross-platform computing. (Keep future in mind.)

JAVA or Python

5. Which language will make contributing programmers happiest to use?

Depends on how they are groomed in the programming arena. But definitely a RAD tool is what programmers would like, so that they can just concentrate on the logic and not to bother about other nitty gritties.

6. Anything else I should know.

You may not get the perfect tool, but I am assuming, like all others you will pick up a tool which nearly matches your requirement and go ahead. But again as always you will come to a point where you will feel you should have chosen another tool, which is quite normal.

[LaRoza]

Some RAD tools which is stable. I heard of GAMBAS but never got a chance to work on it, its a.k.a Visual Basic of Microsoft.

You can never know unless future happens. But again C/C++ will be always there. Even though M$ is pushing C#, I am not sure whether they will create a CLR (Common Language Runtime) for Linux. But plain vanilla C/C++ is not a good GUI tool. You have to get a good IDE to go along with it, with plenty of re usable libraries. But still it wouldnt be a RAD (Rapid Application Development) tool.

Depends on how they are groomed in the programming arena. But definitely a RAD tool is what programmers would like, so that they can just concentrate on the logic and not to bother about other nitty gritties.

Gambas is the last tool you'd want to use. CIL is the standard. CLR is the MS implementation of the standard. There is a Linux implementation of it also, Mono.

RAD isn't the most important part I think. The GUI and inner workings will be separate and the time to fine tune the GUI will be worth it. Also, it won't be language dependant. Glade works with GTK and many languages (same with QT, wxWidgets), so the GUI toolkit is what matters.

[tseliot]

I want to start creating some GUI projects that hopefully one day will be fairly large scale with contributions of several other programmers and be around for many years.

What will such programs do i.e. what is the purpose of such programs?

[pmasiar]

> 1. Which language is best suited for a large scale GUI project?

The one your team knows deeply. I prefer Python.

> 2. Which language will probably be most used in the future for GUI programming?

GUI is not computationally intensive, so despite previous advice, C/C++/Java have **least** sense here. Any hig-level language is good. I suggest Python.

> 3. Which language will be best supported in the future?

Read www.paulgraham.com/hundred.html - The Hundred Year language.

> 4. Which language will be the best for cross-platform computing? (Keep future in mind.)

Java and Python

> 5. Which language will make contributing programmers happiest to use?

Python, not Java.

> 6. Anything else I should know.

Python

Seriously, for fun open-source project, Python is the best choice, with possibly custom libraries in C for speed. Or Stackless Python.

[LaRoza]

Seriously, for fun open-source project, Python is the best choice, with possibly custom libraries in C for speed. Or Stackless Python.

Or Jython?

I don't know how that project is coming along though.

[Quikee]

Or Jython?

I don't know how that project is coming along though.

Great... Jython is now funded by Sun so the main developer is working full time on it.

[pmasiar]

Great... Jython is now funded by Sun so the main developer is working full time on it.

I appreciate Sun finally supporting Python/Jython, but:

1) it is 10 years after Jython was created - better then nothing, but kinda too late to help Java in any significant way
2) MSFT hired Jython author to create IronPython, and has team to integrate other dynamic languages into .NET,
3) MSFT works to make runtime better for dynamic languages (and leaving C# for libraries) - will ever Sun consider such cannibalizing of Java market?

I do like Sun supporting Python, but I am frustrated how much stronger Sun's position against MSFT might be if they were just little smarter. And I know that past performance does not guarantee future results, but it does kinda worry me...

[Mason Smith]

I strongly believe in incremental development. There is Q.T which looks the same in windows and KDE and mostly Gnome. And there is GTK "The Gimp Toolkit" which uses an object oriented C but has several bindings in other languages. If developers knew the answers to those questions asked in this thread they would be ahead of the game.