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Eiffel as a Gnome Development Language ?
Thomas Delaet writes "
This article is a short evaluation of Eiffel as a language for developing the core gnome desktop platform. Last month, there has been a heavy debate about a successor for C/C++ as the language of choice for developing the core gnome desktop components in. The debate has mostly focussed around C#/Mono and Java. This article tries to summarize the different requirements for a gnome development language and shows how Eiffel fits in these criteria."
No, Ericsson uses Erlang, a functional, concurrent programming language.
Most of the big complaints about the security of C++ come because people have little experience with STL and use their own proprietary container classes. In reality STL has given C++ a new life. C++ can be as security safe as C# or java if a comple of simple programming techniques are used: use the STL object classes--they are fast and safe though they require training to use effectively (Scott Meyers' Effective STL is a good start), use garbage collection or register major components (similar to what Mozilla does) to minimize memory leaks, and use exceptions safely (knowing the effect of what construction and destuction of objects will have when the exception is thrown). There really isn't a need to reduce the number of programmers and eyes by switching to Eifell. Just make sure everyone is trained to operate C++ to its full potential.
Oh, I forgot to mention, C# does not alienate Windows developers and independant software vendors, they don't need to learn new languages and new libraries to be productive under Linux. This is another point in favor of C# and against Eiffel
Interestingly enough, the latest versions of Java come with a new Look and Feel for Swing. The GTK+ look and feel hooks into GTK+, and makes your Swing application look and behave just like all your other GTK apps; even if you change your skin! Thus one might argue that Java is a perfectly acceptable GTK+ development language. :-)
Javascript + Nintendo DSi = DSiCade
Sather whomps Eiffel on design and openness.
.NET-compatible libraries but if you are an OSS developer, you shouldn't use those.)
Yes, but Sather, unfortunately is pretty much dead. So is another great language, Modula-3.
OCAML whomps all of the above on design and codability.
Not quite. I love O'CAML, but its syntax is too tricky for mainstream programmers and it lacks some important features (foremost, good support for efficient numerical programming).
Java is excusable because of GCJ,
Sun has complete control over what is and what isn't Java (they own the trademark, the specifications, and lots of patents). Gcj isn't Java, and if it were, it would probably violate some of Sun's intellectual property.
C# would be sheer madness.
Why? C# is an open, non-proprietary standard and a fairly decently designed language. Mono is an open source, high-quality implementation of C# with a full completement of open source libraries. Mono and its open source libraries are completely unencumbered by Microsoft or Sun patents, and they are based on APIs OSS developers already know well (Gtk+, Gnome, etc.). (Mono also happens to have a separate set of
If you are looking for an open language with plenty of open source libraries, an efficient open source implementation, and no legal strings attached, C# is pretty much the only game in town right now.
Once open source software becomes dependant on C#, Microsoft will pull out their submarine patents and start shutting down open source projects. [...] Even if the ECMA demands Microsoft license their patents under ECMA standards,
ECMA not only demands RAND, they first of all demand disclosure of patents. Therefore, there are no "submarine patents"--the set of patents related to ECMA C# is well known. Furthermore, any patent enforcable on ECMA C# would have had to be filed at most a year after publication of the first draft and would be public by now, so even if Microsoft was lying through their teeth, we know by now the complete set of patents that could possibly be relevant.
Claims like yours that there are some mystery "submarine" patents related to ECMA C# are pure FUD.
Microsoft is not stupid. They didn't ask Ximian to use C# for nothing. They have something planned.
I see: so, according to you, the reason people are working on Mono is because Microsoft "asked" them. And, according to you, everybody is stupid except for Microsoft: stupid people investing their time in Mono, stupid companies investing millions in it, etc.
Dream on. The Mono developers are exercising an exruciating amount of care to make sure they have their legal bases covered. One only wishes other OSS developers were so careful.
What you should really worry about is what happens to all those OSS Java projects as Sun either goes out of business or gets more and more into bed with Microsoft. You see, while Microsoft clearly doesn't own ECMA C#, Sun owns the Java platform and large chunks of its implementation, with no free alternatives.
The GTK+ Swing look is quite ugly; it only tracks a few Gnome themes, I think it does not support antialiasing and looks baaaaad. If you want to use it, anyway, check this.
If you want to develop Gnome apps in Java, there are Gnome/GTK bindings for Java.
There is also SWT, but I don't recommend it (it's a lowest common denominator for Win32, Cocoa, GTK and Solaris). Besides, it's selling point is 'cross-platform' compatibility. If you are developing Gnome apps, you shouldn't care much for that (I mean, you are following the HID and using Gnome apis -that's not crossplatform).