On Sun, Jan 13, 2013 at 4:59 PM, Kevin Theisen <ke...@ichemlabs.com> wrote:
> Thanks for the analysis Bob, I need to add in my thoughts.
>
> First, as far as open source goes, I don't really believe there is any
> sense of some "competition". Open source provides tools to the community,
> each is unique and will be used in unique ways by the community. Some will
> even use multiple solutions to craft the type of product they are trying to
> create. Open source solutions are all great. In the open source world, if a
> tool is not necessary, people will not use it and it will not be developed
> further. But an open source developer that believes he/she is in some sort
> of competition with another open source solution has already lost.
>
>
I hope I didn't make that sound competitive. I was remarking about the
tools that are out there that I know of. I'm very happy to see ChemDoodle
continue to develop, and if what we have done helps in that, that's
terrific. I'm just saying that right now it has such a long way to go to
get to Jmol's level of sophistication, operability, and flexibility,
whereas JSmol is there right now.
And this is the only pointed question I have for you Bob, how do you see
> the J(S)mol code being sustainable as time goes on? There will be users
> that want offline desktop support, <canvas> support and WebGL support. Each
> time you develop a feature, you have to re-implement it twice more or very
> soon users will get confused as to which version to use. What is your
> advice on this?
>
Well, actually, that's the beauty of it, Kevin. JSmol is Jmol. The codebase
is the same, so new features are new features, that's all. It is highly
sustainable. Not sure what you mean by "reimplementing". I push one button,
and it becomes the Jmol Java application and the Jmol applet; I push
another, and it becomes JavaScript. It's not as if I am developing these
independently. I have not been developing JSmol as a new product; I have
been adapting Jmol to be able to be compiled directly into either Java or
JavaScript, that's all.
The WebGL support is minimal simply because I have been reluctant to
produce something that is only an approximation of the "real thing" so far.
In contrast, the HTML5 version is an exact pixel-for-pixel reproduction of
Jmol in JavaScript. It's the same code. I think the WebGL aspects will
develop, if there is really interest in that, but I don't see it as a high
priority right now. There is still just too little of a base for WebGL. For
example, I just got a new Windows 8 computer, and both Chrome and MSIE
refuse to view http://web.chemdoodle.com/demos/molgrabber-3d . Since iPads
also don't have WebGL enabled, that's just not a workable solution. Maybe
Apple will enable full HTML5 functionality, but I'm not interested in
waiting for that.
I'm not sure about your comment in relation to Jmol needing a server. What
is that all about?Are you saying ChemDoodle is pulling files successfully
off a hard drive without a server in MSIE and Chrome? Desktop Jmol is in
the form of the Jmol application. Java is not disappearing from computers
-- the issue isn't Java per se, it's Java as a plug-in to a browser.
Kevin, a few questions for you:
What is the platform base for ChemDoodle 3D now? I still can't find much
that will run it.
Is http://web.chemdoodle.com/demos/molgrabber-3d still a working page? (I
can't get that to work, personally.)
Do you have plans to support MSIE?
Can you please point us to the page you had that lists web sites using
ChemDoodle? I'm very interested in seeing what people are doing iw
Bob
>
> --
Robert M. Hanson
Larson-Anderson Professor of Chemistry
Chair, Chemistry Department
St. Olaf College
Northfield, MN
http://www.stolaf.edu/people/hansonr
If nature does not answer first what we want,
it is better to take what answer we get.
-- Josiah Willard Gibbs, Lecture XXX, Monday, February 5, 1900
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Master Visual Studio, SharePoint, SQL, ASP.NET, C# 2012, HTML5, CSS,
MVC, Windows 8 Apps, JavaScript and much more. Keep your skills current
with LearnDevNow - 3,200 step-by-step video tutorials by Microsoft
MVPs and experts. SALE $99.99 this month only -- learn more at:
http://p.sf.net/sfu/learnmore_122412
_______________________________________________
Jmol-users mailing list
Jmol-users@lists.sourceforge.net
https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/jmol-users
