Re: [Toad-devel] Language?

[Janne Jalkanen]

> However, even if Java code written only using free software APIs did
> qualify as such, I don't consider "good looking GUI" or "high
> performance GUI" to be goals of any priority for this project.  If it
> works well, and does not impede the workflow of the users, that is
> enough, no?

Bzzzt.

Both factors are of immense value when you consider usability.  After
all, people will be using this software quite a lot during a
tournament, and therefore their most important interface to the
software is the GUI.

The UI (or at least the most used functions) must thus be extremely
responsive; and frankly, I'd rather stare at a good-looking woman all
day than a pile of shit.  Even though they both had the same
functionality. :-)

UI design is one of the most overlooked areas of SW development
(proper testing is another one).  UI design should be started early in
the development cycle, and should be considered a priority by the
developers.  Seriously.

> I won't impede anyone writing Java code; I just don't see any benefit to
> free software users in assisting Java to proliferate.

Ah, but there you are wrong, my friend!

As with every free or open source software project, those applications
or platforms that are in the highest need always become good
candidates for free/open implementations.  And as can be seen, the
most successful projects have always been those with the largest
userbase: Linux, Apache, Mozilla...

If there is enough demand for a good, free, Java runtime, it will be
made.  License restrictions can be worked around, or changed after
all (and Sun is really protecting itself against commercial
competitors, having learned from the Microsoft incident).

If your argument were true, you should not be considering any portable
system, but develop purely on Linux (or *BSD) because any portable
program that can be run on Windows is "assisting Windows to
proliferate".  :-)

But it is your project, you decide...  I am just claiming that with
Java, there are more potential developers than with Python.  And as
for UI... Well, there's always SWT.

(BTW, the Reply-To -headers seem to be a bit wonked for the list.)

-- 
Janne Jalkanen              //!
address@hidden   // !            Faith manages.
         <*>             \X/  !