On Wed, Oct 14, 2009 at 6:25 PM, Gary Dumer
<gedumer@yahoo.com> wrote:
Exactly what is GNUStep used for?
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See below. :)
Here's what I can figure out:
1. It's not an operating system.
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Correct.
2. It's not a GUI builder.
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Part of it is. GNUstep is an API and Development environment as it says on the website "GNUstep provides a
robust implementation of the AppKit and Foundation libraries as well as the development
tools available on Cocoa/OpenStep, including Gorm (the InterfaceBuilder) and
ProjectCenter (ProjectBuilder/Xcode).
"
3. It includes Objective-C as its main application building tool.
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Incorrect. It uses gcc's implementation of Objective-C and LLVM/Clang's implementation of ObjectiveC as it's main language.
4. It has some really ugly, retro looking apps (Gorm... etc.) for developing programs.
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I'm not sure why you think them "UGLY." They are no prettier or uglier than tools of a similar type. It should also be noted that Gorm is much more capable than GLADE or similar tools, so I'm not sure how "pretty" it is relates to how useful it is.
What I'd like to know:
1. Is it designed to promote Objective-C?
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Not specifically. It uses Objective-C as it's main language.
2. If it does not produce GUI apps, how were Gorm... etc. produced?
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It does produce GUI apps. Gorm was used to produce itself. :) Gorm is also used to produce other apps.
3. Is it mainly for Linux and Windows?
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No. GNUstep works on both of these, but it is inaccurate to say that it's "mainly" for them. GNUstep works on a wide range of operating systems.
4. Is it necessary to use GNUStep and its libraries or may I just write ObjC apps using GCC?
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Not necessary, no, but it is to your advantage to do so since GNUstep provides a very large Objective-C library.
The website doesn't do a very good job of introducing potential new users to the true purpose and use of GNUStep
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Indeed, we need to do a much better job at explaining what GNUstep is on the website. I'm guessing that saying the above isn't clear enough. We are working on making the website better.
So I repeat... What is GNUStep used for?
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No need to repeat yourself.
GNUstep is an API and development environment which enables you to develop applications quickly. It's also useful for porting applications from the Mac to other platforms, although that is not our main purpose.