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GUI for perl on Windows

by Juca (Initiate)
on Jun 26, 2011 at 12:29 UTC ( #911454=perlquestion: print w/ replies, xml ) Need Help??
Juca has asked for the wisdom of the Perl Monks concerning the following question:


I heard that perl/TK is no longer maintained. I was wondering if there is another GUI for perl that is free and maintained. It has been years/almost a decade that I don't use perl or any other computer language, so I would like your opinion about where to start. Please, let me know,

Thanks in advance for your help,



Comment on GUI for perl on Windows
Re: GUI for perl on Windows
by Anonymous Monk on Jun 26, 2011 at 13:06 UTC

      Thanks. By Maintained I meant update, but see the second answer.

      Thanks again,


Re: GUI for perl on Windows ...... Time waits for no one.
by zentara (Archbishop) on Jun 26, 2011 at 14:18 UTC
    I heard that perl/TK is no longer maintained.

    That is not entirely true. Slaven Rezic is maintaining the Tk-804.029.500 module, with the last update being 13 Jun 2011. That is recent. So Tk will work, but it is a bit outdated, not handling themes, transparency, consistency in widget methods, etc. which everyone wants now.

    The problem is that the underlying TCL libraires have advanced quite a bit, and a new Tk branch is really in order, but you can't really complain about Tk as it exists. It is simple to learn and use, it has more free example code out there than just about any other module, and it is still widely used. It was a setback that ActiveState, who used to bundle Tk with their Perl offerings, has decided to make their own branch called TKx , so Window's Perl users, who typically get ActiveStatePerl, no longer get Tk, but get Tkx instead. Tk can still be downloaded for ActiveStatePerl, from various locations.

    That said, Tk is like an old reliable bicycle, it's easy to learn and use, so it is still an excellent module. The Tk canvas widget, and the Tk::Zinc widget are still hard to beat.

    What other options are available now? People seem to divide along lines of whether they like a C style, or C++ style of programming. If you like C, Gtk+, known as Gtk2 for Perl is very active. The Firefox web browser and nearly the entire Ubuntu Linux distribution is gtk+ based. But even gtk+( Gtk2 for Perl), has come to the end of it's development line, (Time waits for no one. :-) ) It will be maintained for bugfixes for a longtime, but development is moving to Gtk3 , but their is no Perl module for it yet, but soon.

    So what should you start out with? I would still say Tk. Why? Because it is the easiest to learn and get answers from the internet, as there are thousands of programmers who know Tk fairly well, and they are happy to show code. This is not true yet, for Gtk2 or Wx, for really tricky problems.

    Once you learn the basics of Tk eventloops and bindings, you will have an easier time picking up Gtk2, or Wx . People who like C++, like most schools nowadays, would probably want Wx. Although, on most linux distributions, Wx is based on the underlying gtk+ librairies.

    Personally, I like Gtk2-Perl , and you can get it on Windows a few ways, see Camelbox: A build of Gtk2-Perl for Windows, and a few nice tutorials for it are at Gtk2 tutorial, and another Gtk2 tutorial.

    Finally, I still reach for Tk for any initial project I start, because it is easier.


      Great, thanks for your complete and fast answer.</>

      Best Regards,


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