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GTK may have a difficult API, but it is portable and it gives a better feel than Qt for Linux+Gnome users like me (I will always choose a GTK app over a Qt app)

GTK may have a difficult API, but it is portable and it gives a better feel than Qt for Linux+Gnome users like me (I will always choose a GTK app over a Qt app).

geraldcombs 10y ago
GTK+'s Windows support is mixed. It mostly works, but bugs reports don't seem to get much attention and you're on your own if you want Windows binaries. macOS support is effectively an afterthought. The only teir 1, actively supported platform appears to be Linux which makes me wonder why the project advertises itself as "cross-platform."
justinclift 10y ago
GTK's documentation is atrocious for anything in depth, and has been for years. Saying that from wrongly choosing it over Qt for a cross platform screenrecording/annotation project a few years ago. There's literally no way in hell to recommend GTK for any new desktop project that likely has a Windows audience. GTK is a mess. :(
- rer 10y ago
  @geraldcombs and @justinclift I didn't know any of this, thanks so much! It sounds like GTK is eliminated too. What's left now, QT and wxWidgets?
  - justinclift 10y ago
    If you're looking to do a desktop GUI type of application, then those two are decent choices. If you have skill in C++ already, then Qt is a natural fit there. Also, Qt's docs are very good. None of the "oh, I was advised to use this class. Where are the docs? What do you mean... go read the source code?". Gah... sorry... still haven't gotten my extremely bad experiences with Gtk out of my system (years later). ;) If I were doing a desktop GUI type app again, I'd choose Qt for sure. Good docs, very large user base, actively helpful Community on IRC. (I'm not really a forums guy). Plus, bunches of Qt code (of various quality) on GitHub for getting ideas from. Hope that's useful. :)
    - rer 10y ago
      There seems to be a third choice though. Writing a "thin layer", which sounds like writing one's own wxWindows or QT. I want to know the difference between the thin layer and the existing libraries. Not in vague terms but specifically with a code example.
      - justinclift 10y ago
        Hmmm, on first thought, writing "thin layer" sounds like a potential boondoggle. But then again, it's not something I've personally tried (nor needed), so that might be an inaccurate assessment. If you don't need a full/complete GUI stack (and other related bits) implementation for your application, then yeah, it might be the way to go.

GTK may have a difficult API, but it is portable and it gives a better feel than Qt for Linux+Gnome users like me (I will always choose a GTK app over a Qt app).

geraldcombs 10y ago

GTK+'s Windows support is mixed. It mostly works, but bugs reports don't seem to get much attention and you're on your own if you want Windows binaries. macOS support is effectively an afterthought. The only teir 1, actively supported platform appears to be Linux which makes me wonder why the project advertises itself as "cross-platform."

justinclift 10y ago

GTK's documentation is atrocious for anything in depth, and has been for years. Saying that from wrongly choosing it over Qt for a cross platform screenrecording/annotation project a few years ago. There's literally no way in hell to recommend GTK for any new desktop project that likely has a Windows audience. GTK is a mess. :(

rer 10y ago
@geraldcombs and @justinclift I didn't know any of this, thanks so much! It sounds like GTK is eliminated too. What's left now, QT and wxWidgets?
- justinclift 10y ago
  If you're looking to do a desktop GUI type of application, then those two are decent choices. If you have skill in C++ already, then Qt is a natural fit there. Also, Qt's docs are very good. None of the "oh, I was advised to use this class. Where are the docs? What do you mean... go read the source code?". Gah... sorry... still haven't gotten my extremely bad experiences with Gtk out of my system (years later). ;) If I were doing a desktop GUI type app again, I'd choose Qt for sure. Good docs, very large user base, actively helpful Community on IRC. (I'm not really a forums guy). Plus, bunches of Qt code (of various quality) on GitHub for getting ideas from. Hope that's useful. :)
  - rer 10y ago
    There seems to be a third choice though. Writing a "thin layer", which sounds like writing one's own wxWindows or QT. I want to know the difference between the thin layer and the existing libraries. Not in vague terms but specifically with a code example.
    - justinclift 10y ago
      Hmmm, on first thought, writing "thin layer" sounds like a potential boondoggle. But then again, it's not something I've personally tried (nor needed), so that might be an inaccurate assessment. If you don't need a full/complete GUI stack (and other related bits) implementation for your application, then yeah, it might be the way to go.