***** Announcing wxWindows 1.62 ***** ***** A Free C++ GUI toolkit for Motif, Open Look, Windows 3.1 ***** ***** and Windows NT ***** >>> wxWindows is a C++ framework for developing multi-platform, graphical applications from the same body of C++ code. >>> Uses include: * development of applications for delivery on several platforms * single-platform development, as a high-level wrapper around XView, Motif or Windows >>> Main features: * Simple-to-use, object-oriented API * Graphics calls include splines, polylines, rounded rectangles, etc. * Simple programmatic panel/dialog item layout * Support for menu bars and status lines * Toolbar class * Pens, brushes, fonts, icons, cursors, bitmaps * Easy, object-oriented interprocess comms (DDE subset) under Windows 3 *and* UNIX * Encapsulated PostScript generation under UNIX, Windows 3 printing on PC * Print/preview framework (NEW) * Document/view/undo framework (NEW) * Memory-checking and debugging features (NEW) * ODBC subset support (NEW) * Virtually automatic MDI support under Windows * Support for Windows 3 printer and file selector common dialogs, with equivalents for UNIX * Under Windows 3, support for copying metafiles to the clipboard * Programmatic form facility for building form-like screens fast, with constraints on values * Applications can access Windows Help or wxHelp hypertext help system * All source * Several examples * Reference manual in PostScript, wxHelp, and WinHelp form >>> Bonus features: * Simple-to-use Windows program installation utility for delivering your applications * wxCLIPS: an interface to NASA's CLIPS, for rapid GUI prototyping and application extension * wxPython: an IDE for rapid object-oriented GUI development * Tex2RTF utility for maintaining online and printed manuals * Tree and graph layout classes * Contributed advanced editor/hypertext classes * wxBuilder, a simple screen painting/C++ generation tool >>> Requirements: * On PC, one of Microsoft C/C++, Borland C++ 3.1/4.0, Symantec C++ * On UNIX, XView 3.x or Motif 1.2.x and GCC/G++ (or virtually any C++ compiler) wxWindows is compatible with most UNIX platforms, but is most tested on Suns using GCC. * At least 8 MB of disk space. >>> Weaknesses To avoid disappointment, it should be pointed out that wxWindows may not be suitable for everyone. It contains a few bugs and some ugly code, unlike any commercial equivalent :-); it does not have the slickness or coverage of a tool like Microsoft's MFC; and you may not agree with the compromises made for portability. On the other hand, rapid progress is being made on providing advanced features such as an ODBC wrapper, complex window layout facilities, persistent storage support, and a resource editor. While wxWindows may not yet compete with MFC, it's probably already better than some of the commercial portable GUI libraries (or so some people say!) Some changes may need to be made for specific platforms, although most compilers and UNIXes are now catered for. And wxWindows does produce large executables and increase compilation time, although there are strategies for minimizing these problems, depending on brand of compiler and operating system. >>> Where to get it wxWindows is currently available from the Artificial Intelligence Applications Institute by anonymous FTP. > FTP to ftp.aiai.ed.ac.uk (or German mirror site at ftp.mapsy.nat.tu-bs.de/pub/mirror/wxwin) > log on as `anonymous', and give your user ID as password > Change directory into /pub/packages/wxwin/1.62, (unix or dos subdirectories), change transmission method to binary, and get wx162.tar.Z or wx162.tgz (UNIX) and/or wx162_*.zip (PC). > Get install.txt. > For automated installation under UNIX, get wxinstal. > Both archives contain the source code for both platforms, but only the executable demos for the specific platform (UNIX and Windows respectively). The demos are available separately as demo.tar.Z and demo.zip. You can view the documentation for wxWindows on the AIAI World Wide Web server using a viewer such as Mosaic. See http://www.aiai.ed.ac.uk/~jacs/wxwin.html >>> Installation See install.txt and the installation script wxinstal. >>> Bugs and an exhortation wxWindows, like most other software, has the occasional buglet (bugs.txt contains a list of some of them). I would be grateful for bug reports (even better, fixes) though I can't guarantee to integrate them. Meanwhile, please do join the growing wxWindows community: it's fun, and it's going places. The more contributors, the stronger the chances that it will be the best toolkit of its type within the next year or so. >>> wxWindows discussion forum There is a mailing list for users or potential users of wxWindows. Send a request to wxwin-users-request@aiai.ed.ac.uk or J.Smart@ed.ac.uk to subscribe to (or unsubscribe from) the mailing list. Note that these messages go to me, it's not yet automated. General discussions take place on wxwin-users@aiai.ed.ac.uk; wxwin-announce is for people preferring lower bandwidth, and I will always send announcements to wxwin-users as well as wxwin-announce. So there's not usually a need to subscribe to both. wxwin-users currently contains 350 entries. >>> In the pipeline * Better networking support (including WinSock integration); * ODBC classes; * wxSizer classes for advanced window layout; * A resource editor (dialogs/menus), which can be integrated into IDEs such as wxPython; * Persistent storage; * Ports to Mac, OS/2, Xt and NEXTSTEP. >>> THANKS, to everyone who has contributed code, suggestions or moral support. ------------------------------------------------------------------ Julian Smart, June 1995 Artificial Intelligence Applications Institute University of Edinburgh 80 South Bridge Edinburgh Scotland EH1 1HN EMAIL: J.Smart@ed.ac.uk TEL: 0131 650 2746