Re: GNUstep and GTK+

[Robert Burns]

Martin Häcker wrote:

> > RMS has asked it is possible for GNUstep to have GTK+ bindings. Note 
> > this is not using GTK with GNUstep, but would allow someone to 
> > compile an application based on GTK with GNUstep - where GNUstep 
> > would interpret the GTK calls and instead create GNUstep objects 
> > (windows, etc).
>
>
> Just out of curiosity:
>
> I know that there currently is a great deal of a debate among the 
> Gnome Community that they want to switch to a memory managed language, 
> cause "C is just too unproductive". Till now the only languages that 
> where considered for this effort are Java (RedHat) and C# (Novel)


Please don't let that be true... better C than that crap.

> Well... do I have to see this inquiry from RMS as a try to get a third 
> language into this potpourri?


Well, Objective-C technically isn't a memory-managed language. Perhaps 
I'm wrong about that, though. Still, it's a vast improvement over C.

But as you mention in your postscript, there's always the possibility 
that a GC like the Boehm-Demers-Weiser GC could be used. That would 
certainly take care of that particular issue.

> p.s.: From a technical standpoint this would do:
> - Real Objects
> - Real Proven and OpenSource Compiler (GCC)
> - No Patents that People are aware of
> - Compatible with the Old-C (and even C++) Code-Base with a minimal 
> hassle
> - Memory Management with the DehmerWeiser-Conservative GarbageCollector
> - Already several trys to marry the languages:


There's no question that Objective-C is perfect for GTK (or any toolkit, 
for that matter), especially if a GC is used. However, there are bound 
to be political issues aplenty if a move like this is made. Also, 
developers would have to get over the syntax of Objective-C. I see so 
many people that have looked at 20 lines of Objective-C code, and draw 
from that brief glance the conclusion that Objective-C is, according to 
one person, "a heinous mix of C and Smalltalk", when in fact it is 
actually a small, elegant, intuitive, and logical extension to C.

Robert Burns