Chasing Unicorns
I’ve been on the search, recently, for alternatives to Xojo. I’ve done some basic research into Lazarus and RAD Studio and both came up short in a variety of ways that you can read about in past posts. So what am I looking for in cross-platform development tool? I’ll spend the rest of this post talking about some of my requirements.
Desktop Targets
Most of our consulting work is macOS and Windows with the occasional Linux or Raspberry Pi project thrown in for good measure. Whatever development tool I choose it needs to be able to build for Mac and Windows at a minimum and anything it can do with Linux is an added bonus. Rarely do we get a project that is just Windows or just MacOS. Being able to desktop and consoles apps is a must on each target platforms.
Native Controls
Maybe it’s my Mac background but I’d like my controls to be as native as possible. This means that when Apple, Microsoft, or Linux distribution changes their UI (again) the application will just work without requiring an update from the vendor. I’ll be honest that this is a want-to-have option as even Xojo isn’t completely 100% native (Listbox I’m looking at you). Accessibility is a big concern for some clients so I’m willing to forego native if it’s ‘close enough’ and works.
Mac IDE
I’m a Mac user so I’d like to stick to my platform of choice if I can. This means that the IDE must have the features that I come to expect on the Mac (keyboard shortcuts, standard Mac text editor features, Finder integration, and so on). Can I live with working in Windows? Sure, but remember I’m searching for unicorns so it’s not my first choice. Plus, having a Mac IDE is a good indication how good of a cross-platform development tool it is. I find it laughable, really, that some companies create cross-platform applications but yet don’t have a Mac IDE. Um…so do you *really* do Mac applications or is this a marketing checkbox?
RAD Environment
I’ve been doing Rapid Application Development using Xojo for nearly 20 years and while you could argue that parts of Xojo are not very RAD (database development I’m looking at you) it is very easy and simple to get simple applications developed in practically no time. Just last week I was able to get a simple Mac/Win desktop application developed for a client in four hours and that included preferences, full menubar, a simple text editor, talking to a web API, all with code signing, notarization, and installers. Some of that is experience and the kit that I’ve developed over twenty years but some of that is simply Xojo. Xojo makes it easy to create a MenuBar and quickly create menu handlers at either the application or window level. The integrated Layout Editor makes it easy to add events for the window and controls and automatically drops into the integrated Code Editor. I really want the next development tool I choose to be as easy to use as Xojo so I can get work done quickly and efficiently.
As a bonus I’d like my IDE to have integrated git and/or subversion integration. I’d also like built-in code signing and notarization if possible too. I realize this last part might require some remote magic since only a Mac can code sign and notarize Mac applications. Neither of these options are available in Xojo at this point and require command like voodoo or a third party utility.
Double-Clickable, Compiled Executables
I really need my apps to be double-clickable in the Finder and Windows Explorer and just run. I should never have to start up an application with the command line nor should I have to have a runtime installed to run the application. Xojo applications are packaged to run independently and on the Mac they are in a bundle and even in Windows and Linux they are self-contained builds not requiring anything special from the operating system (as in no runtime necessary).
Community Size and Friendliness
I’d like my new development community to large and friendly. When I have those inevitable questions regarding my new language and IDE I want a lot of options and where the community isn’t full of jerks. For all of its issues this is where Xojo really shines because it’s one of the most helpful and friendliest communities I’ve ever been part of. I’ve seen the vitriol spewed in other communities when newbies ask a question that should probably be obvious. Hey, mistakes happen, and what’s obvious to one person may not be obvious to another.
Consulting Community
I’ve spent the last two decades as a consultant so why would I stop now? Whatever community I go to I’d like there to be a decent consulting community where an up and coming developer could make a name for themselves. I have no problem becoming ‘certified’ (whatever that means) to get listed and to get prospective clients.
Large 3rd Party Ecosystem
One complaint I’ve had about Xojo over the years is the lack of 3rd party options for controls and libraries. If you want reporting options, a better grid, PDF creation and viewing, database ORM options, and a whole host of other controls and libraries your options are extremely limited. My new development tool should have a vibrant 3rd party community so I don’t have to reinvent the wheel in many projects. I’m okay paying money for a quality controls and libraries but what I really want are options because each one is different.
Good Documentation and Examples
This seems pretty self explanatory. The documentation should be sufficient to learn the language. In an ideal world it would be fully fleshed out so you can get a feel for the gotchas. As far as examples go they should just work without having to futz around fixing stuff.
Bonus Things
It can do web apps.
It can do iOS and Android mobile apps (with some of the same caveats above).
The company/community behind it has a roadmap and what they want the language and IDE to be in the long run.
A standards organization behind the language.
A large enough company behind it, or a large enough community, to ensure future new features and timely bug fixes.
The things that I’m NOT concerned (much) about
Pricing – if it works then the price is (almost) irrelevant.
Licensing – if the language, IDE, and controls and libraries let me create commercial applications then I don’t care if it’s an MIT, GPL, LGPL, or Commercial license.
So that’s my unicorn list. If Xojo is not going to be my long-term development tool these are the things I’m looking for. Is this an impossible list? I don’t think so but as someone coming FROM Xojo these are the things I’m looking for. I you have some suggestions, I’d like to hear them and please let me know what the tool does NOT have from my list above. I know it’s highly subjective but I think it’s important to acknowledge the limitations of the language and tool you work with every day. Like Xojo, no development tool is perfect.
Source: BKeeney Briefs