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ncurses VS Gui.cs

Compare ncurses VS Gui.cs and see what are their differences

ncurses logo ncurses

ncurses (new curses) is a programming library that provides an API which allows the programmer to...

Gui.cs logo Gui.cs

Console-based user interface toolkit for .NET applications.
  • ncurses Landing page
    Landing page //
    2021-09-21
  • Gui.cs Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-09-23

ncurses features and specs

  • Portability
    ncurses is highly portable and can run on a wide range of Unix-like systems, making it suitable for developing cross-platform terminal applications.
  • Terminal Control
    Provides comprehensive terminal control capabilities, allowing developers to manipulate text, colors, and screen dimensions easily.
  • Wide Adoption
    Being a widely-used library, ncurses has an extensive user base and a wealth of resources and community support available.
  • Enhanced User Interface
    Allows the creation of text user interfaces with features like windows, menus, and forms, improving the interactivity of terminal applications.
  • Extensive Function Set
    Offers a rich set of functions for handling input, output, and special effects in text-mode applications, facilitating complex interface designs.

Possible disadvantages of ncurses

  • Learning Curve
    Has a steep learning curve, especially for developers who are new to terminal-based UI programming.
  • C Programming Requirement
    Primarily a C library, which might not be appealing to developers more comfortable with modern or higher-level languages.
  • Limited to Text Mode
    Bound by the constraints of text mode, limiting the kinds of interactions and graphical representations possible compared to graphical user interfaces.
  • Complexity of Code
    Complex terminal applications can become unwieldy with a large amount of ncurses code, making maintenance challenging.
  • Terminal Compatibility
    While ncurses is designed to be portable, not all terminal emulators may fully support all its features, leading to potential inconsistencies.

Gui.cs features and specs

  • Cross-platform Compatibility
    Gui.cs is designed to work across multiple platforms including Windows, Linux, and macOS, which makes it a versatile choice for developers aiming to target various operating environments.
  • Rich User Interface
    Offers a wide range of UI components such as buttons, labels, and dialogs, allowing developers to create comprehensive text-based interfaces suited for console applications.
  • Lightweight
    Gui.cs is a lightweight library, which means it doesn't require significant system resources, allowing it to perform efficiently even in less powerful environments.
  • Free and Open Source
    Being open source under the MIT license, Gui.cs allows developers to freely use, modify, and contribute to the codebase, promoting community collaboration and transparency.
  • Actively Maintained
    Frequent updates and bug fixes are pushed by the community and maintainers, ensuring the library evolves with developer needs and integrates functional improvements over time.

Possible disadvantages of Gui.cs

  • Limited to Text-based UIs
    Specifically designed for text-based user interfaces, it lacks the capability to create graphical elements that may be needed for more visually rich applications.
  • Learning Curve
    Although well-documented, developers unfamiliar with terminal or console-based UIs might find it challenging to grasp the concepts and structure of Gui.cs quickly.
  • Dependency on .NET
    Relies on the .NET ecosystem, which can be a limitation for projects or developers not using .NET as their primary technology stack.
  • Terminal Dependent Appearance
    The appearance of GUI elements can vary significantly between different terminal emulators, potentially leading to inconsistencies in the user experience.
  • Limited Advanced UI Features
    Does not support advanced graphics capabilities or animations, which can be a disadvantage for developers needing more sophisticated UI interactions.

ncurses videos

Ncurses gameplay of PointandHit linux terminal game

Gui.cs videos

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Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to ncurses and Gui.cs)
IDE
69 69%
31% 31
URL Shortener
67 67%
33% 33
Bookmark Manager
71 71%
29% 29
Link Management
46 46%
54% 54

User comments

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Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Gui.cs seems to be more popular. It has been mentiond 10 times since March 2021. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

ncurses mentions (0)

We have not tracked any mentions of ncurses yet. Tracking of ncurses recommendations started around Mar 2021.

Gui.cs mentions (10)

  • A TUI for creating TUIs (Terminal User Interface)
    Yes that's right. Terminal.Gui its a C# library for creating cross platform fully functional GUIs that run in a terminal (and also work over SSH). Source: almost 3 years ago
  • How should I deal with UI/displaying stuff in a console app?
    Depending on needs you might consider using Terminal.Gui. Source: over 3 years ago
  • Ask HN: Why is building Windows apps so complicated
    Https://github.com/migueldeicaza/gui.cs "A toolkit for building console GUI apps for .NET, .NET Core, and Mono that works on Windows, the Mac, and Linux/Unix.". - Source: Hacker News / over 3 years ago
  • Library for creating terminal applications with text-based widgets
    For .NET, there is also Terminal.Gui [1] from Miguel de Icaza himself. I've been using it recently to build a specialized terminal-based calculator. [1] https://github.com/migueldeicaza/gui.cs/. - Source: Hacker News / over 3 years ago
  • Just made clickable buttons for console
    Erm... I don't believe MAUI gives you the ability to put a button in a console app? MAUI is a GUI library. I think a better project to link to would have been https://github.com/migueldeicaza/gui.cs. Source: over 3 years ago
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What are some alternatives?

When comparing ncurses and Gui.cs, you can also consider the following products

FINAL CUT - Library for creating terminal applications with text-based widgets

termbox - Termbox is a library that helps making terminal-based pseudo-GUIs.

newt - Programming library for color text mode, widget based user interfaces.

Slang - Slang is a powerful visual programming language using a newly developed stream-based paradigm.

Turbo Vision - A Turbo Vision port to the GNU compiler and more

ConsoleGUI - GUI framework for C# console applications.