🚀 go-pugleaf

Steven O. <null@null.com> wrote:

>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? 
No, but that is mainly because Visual Basic has almost no run-time
layout management. It is easy to show the fixed layout in the VB IDE
but you pay for it when the user resizes the form at run-time.
>
>Is there some software out there that I could use, maybe some Borland
>or Sun product, that makes it very easy to design a basic GUI?  The
>same tool could almost surely be used to build the behind-the-scenes
>code as well, but I'd leave that to pros.  I just want to be able to
>create screen mockups of the GUI, and let someone else actually build
>the code that makes it work.
You may find it easier to design the forms in a program designed only
for that purpose and which is not a complete IDE. I don't know
anything about them but there a several available and most of them
produce some output that can be used directly by a programmer in the
IDE of their choice.  
>  Ideally, I'd like to find a tool where
>there is a "Personal" edition that's free, or very, very cheap.  
>
>I visited Sun's site, and it *appears* they've discontinued all their
>personal and student versions (unless I missed something),
Sun tools are based on NetBeans (www.netbeans.org) which is free and
open source. It has an excellent drag and drop GUI builder. You can
still get an old edition of Sun One free at
http://jsecom16d.sun.com/ECom/EComActionServlet?StoreId=8&PartDetailId=FJCI9-401-TL9M&TransactionId=try&LMLoadBalanced=
but it would only be useful if you wanted to take advantage of Sun's
free web based training. There would be very little extra to learn to
upgrade from Sun One to the latest NetBeans.
> 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?
If you are used to Visual Basic then I think that you will find
JBuilder the easiest transition of the unrestricted, free IDE's.
>
>Please let me know what you can recommend.  I can be contacted
>directly via e-mail, if you visit the Web site in my Sig, below.
>Thanks in advance for all replies.
>
>Steve O.
>
>"Spying On The College Of Your Choice" -- How to pick the college that is the Best Match for a high school student's needs.
>www.SpyingOnTheCollegeOfYourChoice.com