[DUG] Embarcadero article

[Sean Cross]

You can't single source a gui unless it is very basic.  OSX has a completely
different look and feel than Windows that goes deeper than just different
shaped widgets and button ordering.  Even if you can get a vcl set that
works on both, you are still faced with different user expectation on how
things work.  That translates into different form layouts possibly different
component choices and occasionally different application layouts.  Once you
finally get a form that works on windows, osx and linux, you are still stuck
when it comes to the iPhone apps.

If you are doing a remotely sophisticated app, you are going to have to
rewrite a large amount of the gui.  There is no easy way around it.    

I've spent most of the night looking at python ides.  Most are non native,
probably java based.  Even the good ones feel a bit strange and the bad ones
are just horrid.

Sean

-----Original Message-----
From: delphi-bounces at delphi.org.nz [mailto:delphi-bounces at delphi.org.nz] On
Behalf Of David Brennan
Sent: 15 June 2009 6:03 p.m.
To: 'NZ Borland Developers Group - Delphi List'
Subject: Re: [DUG] Embarcadero article

I just don't see it working unless it is possible to take sophisticated
applications using the current VCL (ie VCL32) and with some effort but not a
complete rewrite (ie NOT replacing the entire component library!) modify the
code using ifdefs etc so that you have single source that can compile to
either platform. Similarly third party providers (eg DevExpress) need to be
able to produce single source versions of their libraries fairly easily.

As far as I can tell they are producing a completely new VCL for the Mac
just like CLX was for Kylix... if so then that means they are only targeting
new applications which is a fatal mistake IMO. 

Of course doing what I suggest (making the new Mac VCL compatible with the
existing VCL32 BUT still making it appear native on other targets) is
probably at least an order of magnitude harder than what they are trying...
but if they don't then I don't really see the point.

Interested to hear what others think.

Cheers,
David.