Mailinglist Archive: opensuse (4054 mails)

["Kai Ponte" <kai@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

> Many times over I hear or see something like... "you should try foo, 
> it's a really easy way to make your desktop dance to your tune" Be 
sure 
> you have Python AND QT installed ; and I believe, if memory serves , 
> the QT is something specifically tied to Python, or the other way 
> around. Truth to say; I may not have the specifics on the Qt module 
> because my brain is misfiring today..  <sigh> Migraines would be a 
> heckova weapon if only they could harness it.

<snip>

Qt ( www.trolltech.com ) and Python ( www.python.org ) are both 
programming languages. That is all they have in common. ( See the 
history of programming here: http://www.oreilly.com/news/
languageposter_0504.html )

Python is a scripting language, which means it is not compiled, but runs 
as part of an interpreter. Here's a "Hello World" script in Python:

print "Hello, world!"

You access a python script by using the command python then the script. 
For example, "python ./mycoolscript.py" would run the mycoolscript 
application.  It is open source, which means there's no commercial 
entity behind it. It is considered one of the "P" applications in the 
LAMP stack - Linux, Apache, MySQL and Python/Perl/PHP - that you may 
have heard of.

Qt is a C++ compiler and set of tools (called "widgets") from Tolltech 
company in Norway. It is the language used to write KDE and Opera. ( 
ttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qt_(toolkit) ).  Unlike Python, a Qt 
applicaiton is compiled, which means it is turned from an English-like 
syntax to a machine readable form. Here's a "Hello World" app in C++


#include <iostream>

int main()
{
    std::cout << "Hello, world!\n";
}

Once compiled, you cannot directly edit a Qt application. (Don't get me 
started with Resource Editors.) Unlike Python, Qt is not pure Open 
Source. The company, Trolltech, is very much behind the OSS movement but 
also needs to make money. This caused a major rift between the "purists" 
and those who wanted a good desktop. Hence the reason the Gnome desktop 
is written with GTK+, another C++ compiler which is completely open 
source. 

Now that you've had an eyeful, here's the answer to your question. Some 
apps may need one or another library loaded to provide supporting 
information. I typically load all Qt and Python (as well as GTK+) 
libraries on my SUSE installation in order to ensure I can run 
everything. Compared to my many gigs of MP3/OGG files and movies, the 
libraries don't take up much space.  

Typically speaking, the more eye-candy you want, the more libraries (or 
widgets) you'll need.

HTH!
 
By the way, I remember from a univeristy Chemistry class that the best 
cure for a migrane is a combination of apirin, acetaminophen and THC.  
(You might have a hard time obtaining the THC depending on which country 
you're in.)

-- 
kai ponte
www.perfectreign.com

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