Transferring from web programming to GUI programming?

Question

I've been doing web development for about six years now, and somehow have entirely avoided ever developing a desktop application.

I am considering writing a desktop application (I'm thinking something similar to a Word clone) on Linux but have no idea where to start. I hear of Qt and GTK+, but I'm curious if there are any frameworks that are similar to web development. Language isn't a problem, as long as it isn't Java.

Answer 1

GTK+ and QT are GUI frameworks. They use xlib under the hood and encapsulate the nuances of xlib and provide you with an easier interface.

For rapid development you can use GLADE and quickly build GUI applications in C/C++.

Answer 2

You really want to go with Qt these days. Both Nokia and Intel are now pushing it as the main GUI in their new distro Meego. This means, if you are using Qt, you'll be able to target all their platforms (both desktop, embedded and phone domain), including all the platforms already supported by Qt. Qt also comes with a GUI Designer and an IDE which will support you in the whole process, and soon there will be QML, which is a declarative UI language, for even more rapid development of apps.

Take a look here:

http://qt.nokia.com/products

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U7IgwNrcln8

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xoo_Ows1ExU

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fr5FuGhTqm8

Answer 3

Check out wxWidgets, it's another framework that is usually compared with Qt & GTK+

Answer 4

Go for Qt. And, if you are webdev, you will find in QML one of the best instruments EVER.

It has:

• A Declarative approach to UI definition and Graphics elements Behavious/Animations
• It's cool and simple at the same time
• For now is only available in a couple of (old) binary drops, or by clone-compiling qt.gitorious.com/qt, branch ">4.7"

If you don't have to release today, but do you have time to develop and test, then QML should be "stable" by end H1 2010. If I got the schedule right ;-)