GUI controls for instrumentation

[Kenneth Porter]

--On Tuesday, March 28, 2006 1:03 AM -0700 "Lamont R. Peterson" 
<lamont at gurulabs.com> wrote:

> For an instrumentation application, Java would be a HUGE mistake.
>
> For an instrumentation application, C++ is a very sane choice.  There are
> lots  of benefits and lots and lots of libraries for all sorts of I/O,
> control &  input cards/systems out there.

You seem to presume that one must code the whole thing in one language as a 
monolithic application. I don't expect some of my deployments to have a 
display. It might be a little "brick" computer buried in a rack or inside 
some OEM factory equipment.

I expect to code the "back end" that talks to the hardware in C++, because 
my vendors' expose their API's either as C++ or C, and because I will be 
exposing an API to my customers. But the front end is going to be separate 
and may be attached either as a linked application (ie. exe/dll or 
executable/so) or via TCP/IP, possibly local. There may even be multiple 
"heads", with some acting as remote monitors while others act as control 
panels.

One reason I don't want a monolithic application is because it gives me the 
freedom to try different front-ends based on platform support for control 
libraries. I might have a web front-end using SVG, a local one with Qt, or 
perhaps something using Java for either.

I expect any control library will give me the common stuff like windows and 
radio buttons. It's the more esoteric stuff like oscopes, gauges, and knobs 
that I'm trying to nail down.