On Wed, 27 Jun 2001 [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:
> Hello again,
>
> I've been wondering now for a while what the best way to begin programming in
> Linux is. I have books and manuals about PERL, C++, and Java, and between
> those and what I already know about them I could probably make a decent
> program. However, I would like to make something graphical. How would be a
> good way to start? I don't want something that does everything for me, but I
> also don't want to use anything that comes with a 500-page explanation. GTK
> or QT? Are those good things to start with? Are programs made that use any
> WM and aren't dependent on Gnome or KDE libraries, and how difficult is that?
>
> Dan
> (Future Graphical Programmer)
>
Are you talking about interfaces or something more ambitious, like
games or modelling?. If it is simply a matter of providing a GUI for a
program you might look at Tcl/Tk, but that means reading a few hundred
pages of documentation. It will be difficult to avoid studying books and
manuals to get a grip on this subject. A way to start is to take an
existing Tcl script and try to understand that and maybe develop it.
Tcl can run on its own or can be interfaced directly to C and C++ through
Tk. Even if you don't use it in the finished product it is good for
prototyping and quick tests. There are tutorials available for both
Tcl/Tk and GTK, some online, others in book disk form, and of course there
is also Java.
There are several extensions to Tcl/Tk to provide extra tools and
functionality, object orientation, network capabilities, and connections
to Perl and Expect.
I find Tcl/Tk invaluable for small personal projects but it is quite
capable of supporting large scale projects as well.
Another factor to consider is that it is cross-platform, although
it may not be as well developed on other OSes.
If GUIs are not your thing then maybe something like POVray?
>
>
> I'm going to build a word processor that everybody likes...
>
>
Go for it!
--
Len Lawrence @ The Thistle Foundation
