Cocoa vs GNUstep vs OpenStep APIs

Question

Cocoa vs GNUstep vs OpenStep APIs

I want to create. I have a great idea for an app that will be of high value to my business. However, I want it to compile and run cleanly on MOSX, Linux, the BSDs and Windows. I very much like the XCode environment and would like to do my programming with these tools. I know XCode cannot directly help me with create UNIX- and Windows-native binaries. Digging around, I found GNUstep ( http://gnustep.org/).

The GNUstep tools are extremely similar, but the APIs differ, somewhat. The GNUsteppers claim to be re-implementing Cocoa API development "where it makes sense," whatever that means. Is Apple tracking, or (even better) contributing to GNUstep development?

It seems that, as the two OpenStep API implementations evolve, they will slowly drift apart and become incompatible. This would be a Very Bad Thing(TM) for Obj-C developers, in general, since it will make cross-compiling significantly more difficult. Commercial developers, especially, would be (are being) harmed because it means maintenance of multiple code-bases for the same product on different operating environments.

I suppose there are other APIs and environments available (wxWidgets, GTK, .NET/Mono, etc.) but they are less than satisfactory, especially in terms of OS UI integration.

To reiterate: Is Apple tracking, or (even better) contributing to GNUstep development?

Thanks.

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Charles Reynolds
Glacier Taxicab - Seward, Alaska
24-hour service - 1-907-224-5678

Posted on Nov 5, 2005 2:45 PM

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Answer 1

Steve-Mac-

Level 5

5,804 points

Nov 5, 2005 10:53 PM in response to Charles Reynolds

Simple answer to your question: NO, Apple is not part of the GNUStep project.

Aaron Hillegrass talk a bit (one chapter) in its programming book about GNUStep. His analyze can be shorten to this (with, maybe, a few of my personal touch):

- GNUStep is acceptable, but you cannot cross-compile transparently from Cocoa.
- The NIB files format are of an unknown format, so you'll have to recreate them all for GNUStep.
- Apple Cocoa is evolving much more rapidly than GNUStep. I looked at GNUStep for teh first time 5 years ago, and I can see that the project as evolved, but not much compare to Cocoa
- The GNUStep project started when NeXT made public the API for their developpement. Making the API public does not provide the actual code and functionnality, so the developpement is much more longer.

I do not know personally any was to make an application crosscompilable between all the OS you mention, but my personal opinion is that it is utopic to think that this can be done without the much trouble and work.

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