> from the very start when java was introduced, i'm > not impress with it.. it just another bloated > programming language...
I'm not a complete fan of Java either. JVMs == memory bloat. Performance-wise, even though there is good evidence that JIT-compilation can outdo even static compilation in many instances, I am still waiting for more convincing examples of Java GUI app which I cannot distinguish from 'native' ones. In this case, the Eclipse IDE definitely passes and maybe Swing apps on OS X could, but I want to see a LOT more and on Linux and Win32, not just OS X. The JVM may be bloat but it is a fixed cost and Java's WORA (should actually be called CORA - compile once, run anywhere) is impressive(*). Just look at how seamlessly a complex app like Batik works (albeit s-l-o-w-l-y) on both Windows and Linux and I'm pretty sure, on the Mac. The people writing it virtually don't worry about any cross-platform issues (except maybe obscure bugs in JRE implementations for which they are not responsible anyway). For something like Kylix, you most likely will still end up having a few #defines (or their Pascal equivalent) scattered across your code. (*) Of course, you get virtually the same thing with Python and the language is so much better than Java. The cons wrt Python though, are that you may have to code C extensions separately per platform for the speed-dependent stuff and you tend to deploy Python's more specialized functionality (like graphics and widgets) in pieces rather than a single monolithic download like you do with JREs. > f. use borland products... write your code in kylix > and port it to delphi or c++ builder using CLX (component > library for cross-platform) Just a caveat though. The hype surrounding Kylix, i.e.: "build native applications for linux that can be easily recompiled and delivered on the windows platform for improved application marketability and availability..." sure made me a fan, but my experiences with using CLX (circa Kylix 2) have left me quite disappointed. Sooooo many small but VERY annoying bugs (now reportedly fixed) and the Qt-based CLX components cannot hold a candle to the VCL components. The thing they hope you overlook wrt the hype is that the CLX components are at least 5 years behind VCL ones!! Otoh, if your last experince with Delphi was Delphi 2, you'd probably still be very happy with Kylix 3 (altough I've seen it run on a friend's Mandrake setup and it was damn slow - not to mention requiring more memory to run than Delphi thanks to the WINE requirement). Linux GUI development options still lag a lot behind Windows'. The fragmented nature of the Linux desktop widget scene both appeals to me (bec. of choice) and turns me off (bec. there's no clear choice :-/) as a developer. One also has to keep in mind that the Linux desktop is trying to catch up with an ever evolving target. While Qt widgets today are at least on par with those available circa Windows 95 (more sophisticated in some respects, but probably also messier), the state-of-the-art VCL widgets available for Windows, otoh, are just amazing. I'm talking about widgets like the Quantum DevExpress Suite. The DevXpress developers tried to make a CLX version, but gave up in disgust at the difficulty of the task (this was circa Qt 2.x, so they might try again). As for me, I don't even believe X and Xlib are particularly attractive foundations to build on... not that there is much other choice on the horizon right now... although the BeOS-inspired, DirectFB-based Cosmoe seems to be coming along. So I wonder... for how many more years will we be asking ourselves... 'is this the year for Linux on the Desktop'? Till then, I'm a very happy camper controlling my Linux server apps via an SSH shell on my 'Doze desktop :-). -- Philippine Linux Users' Group (PLUG) Mailing List [EMAIL PROTECTED] (#PLUG @ irc.free.net.ph) Official Website: http://plug.linux.org.ph Searchable Archives: http://marc.free.net.ph . To leave, go to http://lists.q-linux.com/mailman/listinfo/plug . Are you a Linux newbie? To join the newbie list, go to http://lists.q-linux.com/mailman/listinfo/ph-linux-newbie
