🚀 go-pugleaf

Steven O. <null@null.com> wrote in message news:<vd99k0l9vg79nr2ogupptu6f05sf39afhm@4ax.com>...
> I am seeking some kind of tool that I can use for GUI prototyping. I
> know how to use Visual Basic, but since a lot of software is being
> coded in Java or C++, I'd like to learn a Java or C++ -based tool.
> Back when I took my Java and C++ classes (two or three years ago), the
> available tools -- at least the ones I could find -- were still not as
> easy, not as "drag-and-drop", as Visual Basic. Has that changed? 
For C++, there is (was?) Borland C++Builder. Actually, this is what we
use for all our development projects, and we are very satisfied.
However, this product is being discontinued...

As for Java, I don't know of anything on par with VB, nor Borland
Delphi. There are a few good opensource IDEs, but none are even
remotely as visual nor as user-friendly as VB or Delphi. Hopefully
this will change. I'm starting an opensource project to fill this gap,
you can have a look at my project page at jdelphi.dev.java.net.
Unfortunately, this project is still in the conceptive stages, and no
actual code has been written as yet. Since it is a rather ambitious
project, I'm trying to get some more people interested in helping me
with it...

Having said that, there is one tool I'm aware of (in fact I'm planning
to base my JDelphi IDE on this tool), called AbaGuiBuilder. It's not
really an IDE, neither is it anywhere near as advanced as VB nor
Delphi, but it has made a significant step in the right direction.
It's hosted on sourceforge.net, if you want to take a look.

> I visited Sun's site, and it *appears* they've discontinued all their
> personal and student versions (unless I missed something), and I can't
> afford $1000+ for the tools I did see.  Borland still has the JBuilder
> "Foundation" version, for free -- can anyone tell me how user-friendly
> that is?
I'm personnaly not very impressed with the GUI designer in JBuilder.
The IDE as a whole strikes me as a bit flickery, and not too
enjoyable, but the GUI designer is particularly so. But why not
download it and try it for yourself?
 
Regards,
Jonathan Neve.