1 Announcing wxWidgets 2.5.3: a cross-platform GUI toolkit
2 ----------------------------------------------------------------
4 October 11th, 2004 -- the wxWidgets team is pleased to announce
5 a development snapshot release of the mature cross-platform C++
8 The following platforms are supported:
10 - Windows 95/98/ME, Windows NT, Windows 2000, Windows XP
12 - Linux/Unix/VMS with GTK+ 1.x and 2.0
13 - Linux/Unix with X11 (beta)
14 - Linux/Unix with Motif/Lesstif
15 - Mac OS 9.x and 10.x using Carbon
16 - Mac OS 10.x using Cocoa (beta)
20 A non-GUI subset of wxWidgets called wxBase is also supported
21 on most of these platforms.
23 To get wxWidgets, go to the Download page at:
25 http://www.wxwidgets.org
27 This is a development snapshot, sometimes known as
28 an 'unstable' release. Improvements over 2.4.x include:
29 numerous bug fixes, STL-like container classes,
30 improved GTK+ 2 compatibility, new build system,
31 improved Unicode compatibility, wxRenderer class,
32 shaped frame and dialog windows on Windows and GTK+,
33 more efficient UI update processing, print preview
34 improvements, wxCrashReport class, OpenWatcom and
35 Digital Mars compiler support, and more. Improvements
36 over 2.5.2 include much improved Mac OS X and Windows CE
37 support, as well as the usual bug fixes and minor enhancements.
41 wxWidgets is a comprehensive open-source, multi-platform C++ GUI
42 framework, that can be used to build commercial and free
43 software. First released in 1992 under the name wxWindows, it's
44 increasingly used by organisations and individuals all over the
45 world due to its winning combination of sophistication, wide
46 platform coverage, ease of use, unrestrictive licence and
47 vibrant user community.
49 For most ports, wxWidgets adopts the native look and feel of
50 each platform since it uses the native widget sets. There is also
51 a generic widget set, used for example by the wxX11 port - no
52 other widget set is required, giving the potential for embedded
55 An extraordinary range of classes is provided - but don't be put
56 off by this because most people find wxWidgets easier to learn
57 and use than MFC and other frameworks.
59 As well as comprehensive support for the usual widgets, advanced
60 features include: HTML viewing/printing, wxImage class providing
61 handlers for reading and writing many image types, resizeable panels
62 and dialogs on all platforms, document/view, OpenGL support,
63 HTML-based and context-sensitive help, wizards, drag and drop,
64 a grid class, ODBC support, threads, sockets, container classes,
65 a styled text control, and much more. A 1800-page reference manual
66 is provided in HTML, MS HTML Help, WinHelp, wxWidgets Help and PDF
67 formats, and there are over 80 samples and demos.
69 If you're an MFC user, you'll find many wxWidgets concepts
70 reassuringly familiar, while often clearer and more consistent.
71 If you're not, you should still find it intuitive from the start.
73 wxWidgets bindings for several other languages are available,
74 including Python, Perl, Basic, Lua, JavaScript and Eiffel.
76 If you're considering wxWidgets, do check out some of these links:
78 http://www.wxwidgets.org/feedback.htm ; Comments from users
79 http://www.wxwidgets.org/screensh.htm ; Screenshots
80 http://www.wxwidgets.org/users.htm ; A list of some of our