Re: VB like RAD

[richardt rice edu]

In message <Pine.LNX.4.10.9908202355560.2254-100000@Screech>
 lansdoct@screech.cs.alfred.edu writes:
> Hi,
> 	Has anyone though about having some program (possibly an extended
> glade) that is a RAD tool like the VB environment?  Something where you
> place the widgets then double-click on them to input or edit the code
> which is executed when the widget is actually used (such as when the
> button just put down is clicked on)?  Possibly even in perl because it has
> some database stuff and is a weakly typed language?  This way people could
> write slow, buggy programs just as easily in Linux as in windows.

Perl?  I like perl as much as the next guy (more, maybe), but python is better 
for generic vb-like programming.  Also, most people I run into think that perl 
is cryptic.  (I suspect they only think that because they haven't learned it, 
but it does have a reputation for being less than readable...  Personally, I 
HATE maintaining really -large- perl projects, although the small and 
midsize ones are fine.)

A better option would be to design a languageless RAD system.  Each language 
could have a module to provide its source for what the system needs to do.  I 
did some thinking about a similar concept a few months ago.  (Have a scripting 
corba interface with pluggable corba languages ... poof ... For free, you get 
consistent integrated scripting cababilities using any language (or 
combination) inside any app that can export a corba interface)


> 	I'm neither volunteering for this project nor asking for it, just
> wondering what people think of such an idea.  Would such a tool have
> merit, do you think?  As far as I can follow the hype, there are two types
> of RAD - one is the stuff like gnome which provides a lot of functionality
> in a few function calls (I really love gnome_error_dialog("Error!"); :-))
> and the stuff where the tool does most of the work for assembling pretty
> simple database apps so that people who can't write programs can make some
> passable and somewhat usuable attempts at it.  While gnome answers the
> first pretty well, I think, the second doesn't seem to be much addressed.
> What do people think?  Has this topic already been addressed, or does
> anyone know of any good papers on the subject?
> 	-Chris

VB as a language sucks.  VB as a RAD tool is quite useful.  In the windows 
world, I often find myself throwing together a fairly complex gui in a few 
hours using VB when a similar ui would take a couple of days and a lot of code 
in C++.  Integrating with other languages would help a LOT... If I could write 
my real app easily in C++ (C, Java, Python, Fortran, etc), and throw together 
a few dialog boxes easily in a VB-like RAD tool in Python or Perl (for those 
times you need to parse complex text), I'd be one happy guy when I had to do 
simple projects at work (assuming of course that my boss let me use a *nix 
and gnome. ;)

I think that the integrated scripting tool has some merit and usefulness and 
that adding language-independent (as long as there is a module) RAD adds even 
more capabilities and applications.

-- Richard Thrapp
richardt@rice.edu