When running local, the flex/xmlrpc solution is just as responsive as a traditional GUI app in my experience with regards to data loading, etc. The network/python latency isn't especially noticeable when running the GUI local to the flex UI.
I didn't really get caught up on a difference between the async/sync nature of the GUI, then again I come from a background (electronics and embedded software) where asynchronous communications is more common than for normal software development. If you have a concern beyond latency, I'll need an example as to what you're worried about. I don't think I understand your concern enough to address it. Are you worried about reliability? Error checking? What in particular? Perhaps you could cut and paste a bit of code you've already written that you think would be complicated by the Async? --Michael On Jan 2, 2008 12:51 PM, johnf <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > On Wednesday 02 January 2008 06:56:54 am Michael Langford wrote: > > While some people are Adobe haters("They hate the web...etc"), I think > > a slick alternative available now is Flex2 calling python via XMLRPC. > > > > I've been doing so lately. It is fast to pick up and makes slick > > looking GUI's rather quickly. It has a cheap GUI builder that actually > > works if you don't feel like just typing out MXML files. You can use > > Apollo to do desktop apps and just Flex to do web apps, and all the > > controls are the same. (The difference is a build setting and a change > > to a couple tags, and voila, desktop app is on the web or vice versa). > > > > Bruce Eckel (the thinking in Java Guy) has written an article on this > > Approach: http://www.artima.com/weblogs/viewpost.jsp?thread=208528 > > > > The ActionScript module I'm currently using for XMLRPC: > > http://code.google.com/p/as3python-xmlrpc-lib/ > > > > You don't really need to know any ActionScript to do this. Very little > > is required to marshal data in and out of the controls. Other then > > that, everything is python! > > > > Flex is open source now, so you even have that going for you. And it's > > actively maintained (and updated) by Adobe. The install on a client > > computer is easier than with wxPython as the GUI toolkit, and I've > > done several wxPython apps that needed installers. The python back end > > to all this is SimpleXMLRPCServer, which is also, very easy to use. > > Exceptions even work well (a big surprise for me). And the fact this > > approach is cross platform, for "platform" being defined as Windows, > > Linux, Mac, Firefox, IE6, IE7 and Opera, makes this a great choice for > > a easy UI toolkit. > > > > --Michael > I have been very interested in the Flex solution. Mostly because it supports > both desktops and the web. I use Dabo for my UI solution and found it covers > most everything I need at the moment. But I have real concerns regarding > data access using Flex. > > Flex is asynchronous and most desktop data app's are synchronous when it comes > to accessing data. All I have been doing is reading about Flex so maybe > there is a solution I am not aware of. It sounds like you are working with > Flex - is there a solution? > > -- > John Fabiani > > _______________________________________________ > Tutor maillist - Tutor@python.org > http://mail.python.org/mailman/listinfo/tutor > -- Michael Langford Phone: 404-386-0495 Consulting: http://www.RowdyLabs.com _______________________________________________ Tutor maillist - Tutor@python.org http://mail.python.org/mailman/listinfo/tutor