Re: What is the best Xwindow, window98 program to use frames withada?

[Geoff Bull <gbull@acenet.com.au>]

Paul Hussein wrote:
> 
> It really depends on what you want to do.

It always does, doesn't it?


> 
> I think the previous posts were assuming a very tight integration design and
> code-wise, and I would say that would be a very dangerous way to go. 

I wasn't necessarily assuming that. But why is this any more dangerous
than tightly coupling any gui to the backend?

>This
> would require good tool support or a lot of code on your side. I would try
> to make the interfacing as simple as possible. You could say pass strings.
> Then you would need only a send message, and get/receive message interface.

Fine, but that is not generally how people write gui interfaces,
not in my experience anyway. Well, actually I have seen this done
with a Java GUI talking through a socket to what was once a command
line application. 

> Tight integration with a tool would be a mistake. Write it as much
> as possible independant of the tool, and if you could do it without the
> tool, so much the better. 

Are you objecting to the use of a tool, or the tight integration?
Obviously not to the tool because you later sugest using
a tool (BX pro). As for tight integration, I'd say it depends
on the situation.

> I managed to get an Ada main program to kick off a Java class in its own
> thread running within a JVM and pass messages between the two, and it did
> not take that long. 

If you use Cafe1815 (see www.acenet.com.au/~gbull) this is trivial!


> 
> Have you looked at using a GUI tool like BX Pro that can generate C, Java,
> C++ for Win32 X or JDK. 

No, and I didn't see Ada in that list!?
A port of Rapid to JNI would be possible (just hack the JGNAT port),
but without a good binding generator it would be a *big* job.

> You may be able to create a GUI for most platforms
> using X and C/C++ and for windows using Win32 and C/C++.

Yes, but if you already have a Java (or GtkAda) GUI, why would
you bother?

Cheers
Geoff