[R-gui] [Rd] R GUI considerations

[Hin-Tak Leung]

Hmm, I think people talk to much about the internals -
what toolkit to use, what design to make, and are degenerating
into the old fan-club fights along the line of gtk<->qt,
emacs<->vi, gnome<->kde, perl<->python, etc.

But what *functionality* one wants from a GUI? Here is a short
wishlist:
(1) some common user commands selectable via pull-down menus -
e.g. choosing CRAN mirror, download/upgrade packages, open file,
run file, etc, save file.
(2) some common development commands (IDE) menus e.g. single-stepping,
switching on debugging, etc.
(3) data editor
(4) object browser/navigator for currently used internal data
(5) code editor with syntax high-lighting
(6) documentation viewing/search
(7) some customizability and extensibility - e.g. adding my own
menus, etc.

Others probably have their lists. The rest - what toolkit to use,
where the menus are put and how they are organised etc, are
just details...

Hin-Tak Leung
(guity of starting the flame war...)