[Gambas-user] Gambas has competition now

[Rob]

On Monday 17 March 2008 22:35, Hamish Robertson wrote:
> Sure..all good points rob..but mono is cross platform.

Well, Mono is, but as Robert Rowe points out, many of VB.NET's 
dependencies aren't.  But for a Linux developer who wanted to use 
free software but also deploy on Windows, it would be an option if he 
weren't afraid of Microsoft's eventual betrayal.

> How hard would it be to make GAMBAS truly cross platform?

Well, you need some elements we don't have right now.  Most 
importantly, you need

1. a Windows programmer...
2. who's also intimately familiar with Linux, Qt and Gtk...
3. who has time to maintain a set of patches...
4. and time to support all the early-adopter Windows users until
   enough of them get up to speed to support each other.

I'm not that guy.  I don't know whether that guy exists.  If it's you, 
though, awesome.

Someone was attempting a Cygwin port of Gambas a few years ago, I 
think using Gtk.  The Gtk component is a lot better now and Qt for 
Windows is GPL now, so it should at least be possible to get 
something going.  I personally wouldn't know where to start, not 
having run Windows in 9 years now.

Rob