[Kevin Walzer]: While Tcl/Tk is designed to be a cross-platform toolkit, it is entirely possible to use it to focus on developing for a single platform. In my case, I develop shareware for [MacOS X]. Here are some strategies to keep in mind if you develop for a single platform: 1. Look for platform-specific extensions to integrate as deeply as possible with your chosen platform. In my case, I use a lot of packages that are Mac-specific: [maccarbonprint], [tclAppleHelp], [carboncritlib], and others. These packages implement Mac-specific functionality that users expect from commercial software on the platform. I also use [tile] for general native look-and-feel. 2. Consider purchasing commercial extensions, if necessary, to further improve the look-and-feel of your application. This is not a strategy for open-source programs, obviously, but commercial software can benefit from this. For instance, I used various Linux-based open-source icon sets in my programs for a long time; they looked a bit out-of-place compared to other software on the platform. More recently I purchased a set of Mac-style icons for my programs, and have begun to update the GUI's of my programs. VuMan before: [http://www.codebykevin.com/blosxom/business/vuman-old.png] and VuMan after: [http://www.codebykevin.com/blosxom/business/vuman-new.png] 3. Finally, pay attention to interface conventions on your platform. In my case, I've designed/styled some standard Tk widgets (menubutton, entry widget) to behave in a manner more consistent with other applications on the Mac; note the "gear" button in the screen shot above. If I used these widget designs on Windows or Linux, they would work, but they would look out-of-place. A sample of a Tcl/Tk program that strives for deep integration with [Windows] is [WITS]: [http://magicsplat.com/wits/screenshot.png] In my case, the reason for this deep push into platform-specific look-and-feel and behavior is to increase the sales of my programs. If you are developing cross-platform software on a commerical basis, some trade-offs may have to be made. ---- [Category Discussion]