Re: Is Swixml a rich (or smart) client?

karim virgil wrote:
>  Hi everybody,
> I post this message because I would like to have some advices from the
> Swixml communauty.
>  
> Currently,  I'm doing some research on the rich (smart) client domain because
> I'll like to develop an application 
> that can be deployed and updated easily but more user-friendly than the
> HTML.
>  
> Naturally, I found the Mozilla + XUL (and javascript) solution very attractive
> because it meets my needs 
> completely. There is only one drawback : This solution obliges the user
> to use Mozilla but I can't impose this 
> constraint to him.
>  
> So, I was looking for another solution and I found this Internet Site :
> http://xul.sourceforge.net/counter.html
> 
>  
> As far as I'm concerned, I think that swixml won this challenge because
> the esthetics of the interface is 
> pleasant and this in few lines of code.
>  
> After, I found the Web journal of Wolf Paulus (http://www.carlsbadcubes.com/blog/index.html)  where
> it's 
> written that Mr Galbraith said at the San Diego Software Symposium that
> he thought SwixML is the most mature 
> XUL/Swing offering.
>  
> 
> After doing some research on how Swixml works, I found that the xml file
> that describe the UI is interpreted by 
> the SwingEngine initialised in a .java file and launched by a JVM. 
> 
> Can we consider that Swixml really acts like a rich client?
> 
> In other words, is swixml a rich client or "only" a way to describe
> swing interface in xml ?
> 
> What are the advantages to create an UI using XML rather than a hard coded
> one?

IMHO the biggest advantage is the separation of GUI and business logic. 
You can
a) have very different GUIs serving the same purpose but looking totally 
different
b) may have customer specific GUI files which may show more ore less 
available business logic to the customer (customer pays more and sees more)
c) design in rapid prototype way, e.g. have a business logic skeleton 
which is used by your GUI e.g. in a session with your customer until the 
customer is satisfied
d) design your GUI in a more "natural" way (at least IMHO) because if 
you have a complicated GridBagLayout with a lot of constraints, insets 
and the whole bunch of glue you easily get lost

>  
> What I think is that swixml can't be considered as a smart client alone
> but It really makes the deal if it's 
> combined to Java Web Start (so Java Web Start + swixml.jar == mozilla browser
> behaviour with XUL).

No, that would do mozilla less a favour. Mozilla IMHO relies on its GUI 
glueing its business logic with javascript, which is'nt easily doable 
with swixml. Even some of the business logic is realized through 
javascript in mozilla. This is not the intention of swixml. IMHO swixml 
goes well if you keep the business logic somewhat isolated: have 
components take care of themself, do a job, nothing more, nothing less. 
Then access these components through the swixml-GUI like Actions. Thus, 
your backend-logic (do'nt know if this is the right name) provides basic 
services (network connection, data sources, ...), Actions (menu-items, 
buttons, ...) do the business-logic and glue the backend components. And 
swixml does the GUI ;)

> I hope that this message will not be perceived as a criticism of swixml
> because it is absolutely not my intention.

Why should it? Each of the swixml-users has its own purpose in mind if 
she/he decided to use swixml. You *may* use it but are unsure about its 
nature.

> I only wish to have your opinion on the interest to use swixml whereas
> I can also create a  rich client by using 
> swing directly and deploy it with Java Web Start. 

Deployment through webstart should'nt be a problem. GUI creation "the 
hard way" is IMHO a bad idea, JWS or not ;) I rarely choose a hard coded 
GUI anymore


Frank

>  
> thank you 
>  
> ps:sorry if my english isn't perfect ;-)
> 
> Plus simple, plus fiable, plus rapide : découvrez le nouveau Caramail - http://www.caramail.lycos.fr
> 
> 
> 
> ------------------------------------------------------------------------
> 
> _______________________________________________
> Forum mailing list
> [email protected]
> http://carlsbadcubes.com/mailman/listinfo/forum_carlsbadcubes.com