My python programs need a GUI, wxPython or PyQt4?

[Chris Mellon]

That page is legal babble, trying to trick you into buying (or making your
boss buy) a commercial license. The Qt Open Source edition *IS* GPL and thus
it falls under all the normal GPL clauses and uses, irrespective of what
Trolltech may or may not think.

For instance, see this FAQ:
http://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl-faq.html#GPLRequireSourcePostedPublic

which makes pretty clear that a "company"/"organization" is basically the same
of an "individual". "Releasing a software within a company for internal usage"
is by no means the same of "releasing it to the public". Basically, for what
the GPL is concerned, it is *not* a "release" or a "distribution" at all.

I should point out that the FSFs position in this regard is not
supported by copyright law and that the fact that Trolltech takes a
different position is something that you should consider strongly. If
the FSFs position were true, there would be no need for per-seat
licensing of commercial software (because internal distribution
wouldn't be). US copyright law does not draw a distinction between
"internal distribution" and any other kind, and I'm not aware of any
case law that does so either. This distinction is also not codified in
the GPL itself anywhere, so it's not a necessary condition of the
license - it is an interpretation by the FSF and that is all.

Thus, it is well possible to write internal GPL software, using the Qt Open
Source library, and to release/distribute/use it *ONLY* internally. Also, it
should be made clear that a company can of course relicense its own
proprietary libraries as GPL for internal usage only, so that they can be
linked to other GPL libraries "legally". For instance, in the case of Daniel
and his game company, they can link their proprietary game code to PyQt4 (Open
source edition) to produce an internal tool, like a level editor, which would
then fall under the GPL. If and only if they were to release that tool to the
public (either for free or for sale), they would have to either go GPL and
release full source code (include the parts of their game code linked to it),
or buy a Qt commercial license.

[[ Another page of similar babble is the one where they try to convince you
that you cannot use the Qt Open Source edition to develop a software, and then
buy the commercial edition only the day before you want to release it as non
open-source. I can't even understand how they can even try to support such a
nonsense position. You're free to develop your software for years as GPL
without distributing it, and then relicense your own code whenever you want.
They're obviously just trying to scare people. ]]
--

Trolltech can do this because they won't sell you a commercial license
if they think you've been using the GPL version to develop. It's a
practical limitation, not a legal one.

 

[jean-michel bain-cornu]

Hi

Just for info - one of the reasons I stopped using Tkinter a few years ago
was for the lack of print support (preview ...) - is there such an
extension today ?

Same for me, it was a point for what I choosed wx.
Nowadays, I'd say users commonly accept to get pdf reports instead of
direct printing, so it's not so much important.
Regards,
jm

 

[David Boddie]

It is all interpretation -- even after some cases have wandered
through the courts. Mostly the trolltech statements indicate their
intent to sue. That right there tells me I want to go elsewhere.

Well, one could alternatively read the GPL, look at the FSF FAQs,
consult a lawyer, or talk to the Trolltech salespeople. I'd suggest to
the original poster that they do one or more of those things instead
of relying on your interpretation and guesswork.

David

 

[Sean Schertell]

Not to totally hijack the thread -- but since you're all talking
about best GUI frameworks. Any thoughts on the best looking framework
for OS X only? Is there any way to write little Python apps that will
launch in OS X using OS X widgets?

Thanks,
Sean

I known this can be impossible but what about an "HTML" GUI ?
Yep, I think you should consider a HTML GUI. I have just finished a
project using CherryPy running on localhost. The big advantage is
that the app runs on Linux, Mac and Win using a browser without any
problem. You can use css and js to polish the user interface and
usability of your application.

regards,
Dimitri

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[Robert Kern]

Not to totally hijack the thread -- but since you're all talking
about best GUI frameworks. Any thoughts on the best looking framework
for OS X only? Is there any way to write little Python apps that will
launch in OS X using OS X widgets?

Use PyObjC. You have full access to the Cocoa framework.

http://pyobjc.sourceforge.net/

--
Robert Kern

"I have come to believe that the whole world is an enigma, a harmless enigma
that is made terrible by our own mad attempt to interpret it as though it had
an underlying truth."
-- Umberto Eco

 

[Sean Schertell]

That's really exciting! Thanks for the tip.

Sean

Use PyObjC. You have full access to the Cocoa framework.

http://pyobjc.sourceforge.net/

--
Robert Kern

"I have come to believe that the whole world is an enigma, a
harmless enigma
that is made terrible by our own mad attempt to interpret it as
though it had
an underlying truth."
-- Umberto Eco

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Complete Web Services
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