[DUG] Toolsets (was Re: Company closing)

[Colin Fraser]

> > What we *don't* need is a Delphi (or a VCL) for a Lowest Common Denominator
> that fits Windows and Mac and Linux and phones and toasters and key-fobs


Yes and No,

Some people don't like it, some love it, I don't mind it... and that is java SWT based apps... Eclipse itself being a prime example.

SWT uses native controls on each supported platform, and (I believe) truly fit well into/with the OS and seem to perform pretty well too.

On a day to day basis I use a Mac, use a bit of Ubuntu, and use Delphi in a Windows virtual machine... Eclipse, and a small number of SWT applications I have built, fit pretty well into the native OS... the last little app we wrote sat alongside a Delphi app doing a very similar thing, and the user had no idea one was Delphi and one was SWT/java.

In saying that, I don't think there is SWT on phones, toasters and key-fobs (well, actually I think there was a Windows mobile port... not sure how that went).

Had a play with Android a while ago since I have an Android phone, not to mention the plugins for eclipse makes it a relatively easy way to develop, and it was not that hard (though I have forgotten it all now :-))

Like others have mentioned, learning the language was easy, learning the frameworks is more time consuming... SWT, Android, and, oh the web frameworks, so many to choose from... server side, client side, GWT, etc, etc, just about to start that process and it looks pretty daunting trying to find the wood through the trees and trees of java based web frameworks.

Oh for a one tool fits all in this area too :-)

My $0.02 worth.

Regards
Colin (F)




On 30/11/2010, at 5:34 PM, Colin Johnsun wrote:

> 
> 
> On 30 November 2010 09:56, Jolyon Smith <jsmith at deltics.co.nz> wrote:
> 
> What we need is a Delphi for Cocoa.
> 
> What we *don't* need is a Delphi (or a VCL) for a Lowest Common Denominator
> that fits Windows and Mac and Linux and phones and toasters and key-fobs.
> 
> 
> Totally agree with Jolyon. 
> 
> Initially, I was really looking forward to Delphi for Mac. But the more I think about it, solutions that are not based on the native GUI frameworks for each platform will most likely result in sub-par applications. If I want to design a cross-platform app for both Windows and Mac, then my design decision would be to refactor out all of the non-gui logic into their own units and then build separate user interfaces using the native UI components for each platform.
> 
> As Jolyon stated, what makes sense/looks good in a Mac application does not necessarily make it appropriate for a Windows application and vice versa. If you want to do a proper job, you will most likely create seperate UI's for each platform. If that, being the case, it makes no sense to aim for that lowest common denominator because in the end you will please neither of your Windows or Mac users.
> 
> I think Embarcadero's plan to use a common 'VCL" will initially satisfy the uninitiated who wants to go cross-platform "easily" and "quickly" but will be annoying if you want to create apps that are designed specifically for the platform that they are to be hosted on. I see this as the same problem with the attempt to get existing Delphi applications Unicode-ready. The ideas was to make it "easy" for existing code to become Unicode but it made it confusing for new apps going forward. I think this will be the same for cross platform development for Delphi using this common VCL approach.
> 
> Colin
> 
> 
> _______________________________________________
> NZ Borland Developers Group - Delphi mailing list
> Post: delphi at delphi.org.nz
> Admin: http://delphi.org.nz/mailman/listinfo/delphi
> Unsubscribe: send an email to delphi-request at delphi.org.nz with Subject: unsubscribe


#####################################################################################

Attention:

The information in this email and in any attachments is confidential. If you are not 
the intended recipient then please do not distribute, copy or use this information. 
Please notify us immediately and then delete the message from your 
computer. Any views or opinions presented are solely those of the author.

####################################################################################
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: http://listserver.123.net.nz/pipermail/delphi/attachments/20101130/04f1af59/attachment.html