which language for a database/gui/chart app?

rowan

Hi

In your infinite collective wisdoms, could you suggest the most suitable free + open source language for an application that

1. Reads from a simple database containing mostly text data
2. Performs some text processing
3. Has a nice GUI that displays text and allows user to change parameters and
4. Shows up some nice charts / graphs of numeric data
5. Is a standalone OS app, not a web app.

I already know PHP, but went to Java for its GUI capabilities, then realised the static typing is a nightmare, then went back to PHP because I came across php-gtk which i hadn't seen before... this seems like the best option because i already know php.

Performance is not a priority, ease and speed of development is.
Can anyone suggest any other languages (+extensions) that would be suitable?

thx

bonkey

rowan wrote:

Performance is not a priority, ease and speed of development is.

Nothing will be as easy and as fast as a slight variation of a language you already know.

I read the question and thought Java. Then I saw that you have an objection to Java because its not like the stuff you already know.

So you've answered your own question really, or you should probably be asking "whats the best stuff I can tack onto PHP to let me...."

Incidentally, you're probably the first programmer I've met who views static typing as a nightmare.

jc

daymobrew

For graphs you could use a cool PHP/Flash utility.

I use it in my M50/Blanchardstown weather page.
The PHP module from maani.us spits out xml, so, once you know the output data format you can use any language.
I use perl for another CGI that uses PHP/Flash Charts from maani.us.

PHP/PEAR should have modules for creating graphs with GD.

rowan

oops, i forgot to mention i want it be a standalone OS app, not a web app

rowan

>objection to Java because its not like the stuff you already know.

but I'd be willing to swap to another language if it met the above criteria

bonkey

rowan wrote:

but I'd be willing to swap to another language if it met the above criteria

No language that you don't know will ever be as quick and easy to develop in as one you do, unless there is a fundamental and insurmountable difficulty in accomplishing a required task in your known language(s). In this latter case, there is no quick-and-easy solution.

Consider...if I asked for a language other than english which I could quickly and easily describe a problem in....the first question someone would ask is "why not english".

The point I'm trying to make is that while "quick and easy" remains a criteria, I don't believe you'll never meet those criteria while learning a new language if an already-known language is up to the job.

I know quick-and-easy wasn't listed as a criteria in your list, but it is mentioned further down in the post, and it is effectively the reason why you discarded Java....you didn't find it "easy".

What I'm saying is....will PHP (with/without addons) do the job, including meeting the quick-and-easy requirement? If so, then use it and don't worry that someone else with expertise you don't have may be able to produce a faster solution with less effort......because once you factor in the cost and effort of learning what they know, you'll still end up worse off in time/effort than had you done it in PHP.

If PHP won't do the job, then accept that there is no quick-and-easy solution, and that what you want is something slightly difderent....the quickest and easiest solution (or least slow and least painful).

rowan

it is effectively the reason why you discarded Java....you didn't find it "easy"

.

correct.

What I'm saying is....will PHP (with/without addons) do the job, including meeting the quick-and-easy requirement?

eh, almost, but not quite. PHP doesn't do windowed apps. It doesn't do widgets/controls. The add-on i mentioned, php-gtk, has windows/widgets etc, but is still a fledgling technology. For instance it doesn't do charts/graphs and won't even display a jpg, you have to use xpm (ascii versions of images). I could code the charts myself once i figure out xpms.

However, do you think eg. perl / tcl / python / ruby or other language would be suitable?