<li><a href="#base">What is wxBase?</a></li>
<li><a href="#univ">What is wxUniversal?</a></li>
<li><a href="#jave">What about Java?</a></li>
+<li><a href="#dotnet">What about .NET/Mono?</a></li>
<li><a href="#help">How can I help the project?</a></li>
</ul>
<hr>
different platforms. wxWindows defines a common API across platforms, but uses the native graphical user interface (GUI) on each platform,
so your program will take on the native 'look and feel' that users are familiar with.<P>
-Although GUI applications are mostly built programmatically, there is a dialog editor to help
+Although GUI applications are mostly built programmatically, there are several dialog editors to help
build attractive dialogs and panels. Robert Roebling's <a href="http://www.roebling.com">wxDesigner</a>
-makes light work of resizable, portable dialogs.<P>
+and Anthemion Software's <a href="http://www.anthemion.co.uk/dialogblocks/" target=_new>DialogBlocks</a>
+are two commercial examples, but there are others: see the <a href="lnk_tools.htm">Useful Tools</a> page.<P>
You don't have to use C++ to use wxWindows: there is a <a href="http://wxpython.org">Python interface</a> for wxWindows 2,
and also a <a href="http://wxperl.sourceforge.net" target=_top>Perl interface</a>.
meet all their cross-platform development needs. We don't anticipate a major threat
from Java, and the level of interest in wxWindows is as high as ever.<P>
+<H3><a name="dotnet">What about .NET/Mono?</a></H3>
+
+Microsoft is spending a lot on promoting the .NET initiative, which
+is a set of languages, APIs and web service components for Windows.
+Ximian has started an open source version of .NET, mostly for Linux.
+C# is Microsoft's alternative to Java, supporting 'managed code',
+garbage collection and various other Java-like language features.<P>
+
+Although this may be attractive to some developers, there
+is a variety of reasons why the .NET/Mono combination is unlikely
+to make wxWindows redundant. Please note that the following comments
+are Julian Smart's opinions.<P>
+
+<ol>
+<li>Not everyone wants or needs net services.
+<li>C++ will be used for a long time to come; compared with C++, C# is a recent development and its future is not certain.
+<li>Mono Forms may only target Winelib (at least to begin with), so the end result is not as native as
+wxWindows (I'm aware there is GTK# for use with the C# language).
+<li>C# is usually byte-compiled and therefore slower. Plus, .NET adds a layer of overhead to the client computer
+that wxWindows does not require.
+<li>Mono hasn't proven its long-term viability yet (it's a complex system of components); wxWindows is ready now.
+<li>You may not wish to buy into Microsoft marketing spin and APIs.
+<li>Microsoft may at some point sue developers of non-Microsoft .NET implementations. After all,
+platform-independence is not in Microsoft's interest.
+<li>.NET might never be implemented on some platforms, especially Mac and embedded variants of Linux.
+<li>wxPython and other language variants provide further reasons for wxWindows to continue.
+<li>The same issue exists for Qt: if Qt sales remain strong, it's a good indication that
+the market for a C++-based approach is still there. (Either that, or everyone's turning to wxWindows!)
+</ol>
+
+There is nothing to stop folk from developing a C# version of the wxWindows API;
+we already have bindings to Python, Perl, JavaScript, Lua, Basic, and Eiffel.
+Update: a <a href="http://wxnet.sourceforge.net/" target=_new>wx.NET</a> project is now in progress.
+
+<P>
+
<H3><a name="help">How can I help the project?</a></H3>
Please check out the <a href="http://www.wxwindows.org/develop2.htm">Community</a> pages,
projects / wxWidgets.git / blobdiff