Fwd: [sac-dev] user interface

[Brian Savage]

George,

I would argue strongly that this in *not* a step backwards in compatibility.

1) GTK *is* network capable,  GTK is built upon the X11 framework, which 
is network capable, and provides a wrapper around Xlib.  By using GTK, 
you are using Xlib/X11, but creating a user interface or even drawing to 
a window is much easier. This means you can run SAC on one computer and 
view the interface on another, just as we could in the past.

2) GTK is distributed under the GNU LGPL, which allows for linking with 
proprietary software or even BSD Licensed software.  The choice of 
License for SAC will still be available to IRIS/LLNL/SAC developers.
http://www.gtk.org/faq/#AEN81

GTK is not Tcl/Tk.  GTK is actively developed by a large number of 
contributors and is also the base for many projects, including the 
Mozilla web browser on Linux and the GNOME interface.  The documentation 
for GTK is extremely good.  Changes from release to release are 
documented in one place, and older deprecated functions still work while 
issuing warnings about their use.

I would say that we are not losing any features here. The command line 
interface will still exist as will all of the underlying processing 
capability.  I would even argue we would are providing a stable base for 
more features to be added.

http://www.mozilla.org/
http://www.gnome.org

Cheers,
Brian

George Helffrich wrote:
> 
> This appears to be a breathtaking step backward in capability.  If I 
> understand GTK properly, it is:
> 
> 1) not network capable like X11 (meaning you can't run SAC on one 
> machine and display the graphics on another machine);
> 
> 2) would demand open source for SAC due to it coming under the GPL.
> 
> (2) was the motive, I thought, for opting for the {Free,Net}BSD version 
> of readline rather than GNU readline recently.
> 
> (1) is a drastic limitation in capability, if I understand GTK rightly: 
>  you have to run SAC on the same computer that your display is wired to.
> 
> Finally, a word of caution/perspective.  GTK resembles Tcl/Tk in that it 
> does not originate in an industrial consortium.  PASSCAL was burned by 
> relying on Tcl/Tk for its PDB interface field apps:  subtle differences 
> in new releases led to user problems in the field.
> 
> Is the feature loss, the open source implications, and the possible 
> release troubles worth borrowing for a spiffier SAC look?
> 
>                                 George Helffrich
>                                 george at geology.bristol.ac.uk
> 
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