Best UI programming framework?

[Kaushik]

Hello all,
I am a c++ developer with little experience with web applications or GUI tool kits. (The only GUI I have done is using Win32.)
I am writing a tutoring tool which needs a rich user interface. The UI should be responsive and should not be sluggish.

1. What are your suggestions for writing GUI applications for the raspberry?. I am looking at PyGTK. Would it be slow on the pi?

2. Would you suggest that it is better to write a web application so that it can be run in a browser?. Is there a standard web application UI framework that is used in the Pi?

Any thoughts would be most helpful.
Best
Kaushik

[DavidS]

Under Linux+X likely anything will be a bit slow. There is NanoX/Microwindows, should be easy to compile for ARM Linux+FB and provides a Win32 API subset + FLTK. And to note your best bet regardless of GUI on Linux is likely FLTK.

On the flip side AROS (the version without Linux) Provides a good fast GUI, as does Plan9, and RISC OS, just to name a few in case you are not tied to Linux. The fastest is of cource RISC OS as it is written mostly in Assembly, and it does provide UI Libs for C and C++ if you wish to use them.

Though take your choice, there are plenty of options.

[DavidS]

For a GUI application to be run in Linux on the RPi I would highly recomend avoiding ANY scripting language (Python, WEB base JS etc).

[ShiftPlusOne]

Does interpreted vs compile really make any difference under X? As I understand it, the clocks cycles for the actual applications are negligible to those needed by X to actually render things. I am certain that the lightest C program using gtk under X will be slower than an equivilent python program using openvg or an opengl es gui toolkit.

[ShiftPlusOne]

Anyway, I'd suggest you try pygtk and see how you go with it. You don't lose anything by getting experience with different toolkits until you find the one you like.

[dr_d_gee]

If you want to develop a GUI using C++, Qt would (IMHO) be the best choice, and has a nice IDE in Qt Creator--setting this up to work on the RasPi is a bit tricky, but it has been covered before in these forums.

[DavidS]

Does interpreted vs compile really make any difference under X? As I understand it, the clocks cycles for the actual applications are negligible to those needed by X to actually render things. I am certain that the lightest C program using gtk under X will be slower than an equivilent python program using openvg or an opengl es gui toolkit.

And that is why i recomended compiling the FrameBuffer (non X) version of NanoX, as this gives FTK in an enviroment that is much faster than the current X on the RPi.

[DavidS]

If you want to develop a GUI using C++, Qt would (IMHO) be the best choice, and has a nice IDE in Qt Creator--setting this up to work on the RasPi is a bit tricky, but it has been covered before in these forums.

As the OP seems to be interested in effeciency; under Linux I would not use X. The faster options include NanoX/MicroGUI, W Windowing System, FBWindows, and many more. FLTK is available for NanoX/MicroGUI, and this would be a good starting point as the OP also has experience with the Win32 API, and a subset of said API is provided.

[Kaushik]

Hello all,
Sorry for being away. Thanks for the comments. I will look at FLTK. One thing I wanted to mention is - I am not particular about using C++. I was mentioning that, C++ is all I have worked with. However, I am happy to learn anything except java .

Thanks