Karen Browning (kbrowning at MAIL.UTEXAS.EDU) wrote:
: Here we go again. GeneRunner is apparently out of business. Does
: anyone know of a user friendly, inexpensive DNA/protein analysis program
: for Windows that does what GeneRunner did. I would also like to be able
: to do contigs for DNA sequencing, etc.
: Can anyone explain to me why this is so difficult?
It's not that difficult, given that windows has a massive backup in
terms of compilers, IDE's etc. However, it is time consuming to construct
a natty interface to the algorithms, and debug the stuff to a reasonable
degree, such that many people now try and sell their hard work rather than
distributing freely. If you check back in this group you'll see several
posts from people offering demo software of their sequence analysis
software. This whole thing may be circumvented soonish by the serious use
of Java, and since this is more or less platform independent (I say more
or less because I am one of many who are encountering platform problems
with Java) it would only take one kind soul to distribute a serious Java
app (not just a collection of relatively trivial applets) and it would run
on Windows, a Mac etc. etc. I am sure that will come from one serious
minded individual and/or research group in the near future.
