Cross-platform, the road to Linux applications
 

The thread "What programs would you like to see ported to Linux?" forces me to tell you how you'll eventually get all the wished applications. First think, no vendor will release any Linux port. But vendors will build cross-platform applications if it costs them nothing and if the get something for free. And that’s exactly the case with wyoGuide (search at freshmeat.net, I’m not allowed to post URL).

wyoGuide shows a way how any application (commercial or OpenSource) can developed cross-platform with almost no additional work, the amount is really neglect able. And cross-platform produces ports for Windows, Linux, Mac, Solaris, etc. It helps to create well-designed applications and it further has a full featured base application you could just take and start code your own stuff. Better have a look at the wyoGuide web site.

If you want Linux applications, ask for cross-platform!

O. Wyss

you're not allowed to post urls cost you seem to have joined up solely to spam us with a single link in a number of different threads.. don't.

What you are proposing is what every programmer would like to see, and what many books are written about. Yeah, it is great in theory. In practice, though, it is too much to ask for. That's just my opinion.

I joined LinuxQuestions in May 2004, seems to be a rather large time. Don't you agree?

O. Wyss

You can't post URL, cause you have <10 posts (I think it's a VBulletin limitation, actually). So it doesn't matter when you actually signed on, but how much you contribute to discussions here...

About crossplatform software, looks like the Holly Grial of computing, where you use what you really want to use and you'd still get all you want from your platform. Sadly all different platforms aim to tackle different problems... Which was the reason for them to exist in the first place.

My 2 ¢

Well cross-platform is the only way you ever get all the wished applications. Of course it needs much work and an awful lot of time but in the end, cross-platform will become a reality. As soon as the first important vendor starts with cross-platform the others have to follow. To start this process vendor have to know that there's is a simply way to get cross-platform. And as soon as they know there is wyoGuide they will recognize its value.

Some would argue that cross platform software (if it was all too common, anyway) is like the "one size fits all" saying. I mean it is indeed a good idea, but it is not for all applications. The main showstopper, however is that not every software company is willing to invest or walk the extra mile portable code requires. It is true that portable code does not come without a price. There's always a catch, be it in planification, be it in fixing other people's bad coding habits, be it API pitfalls and particularities, you name it. And to detect and correct all these, time, effort, money and dedication are required.

From the sole monetary point of view, translating a bunch clogged code into portable code would require a huge effort and cost a lot of money worht of capable programmers, not every company that would like to have a cross platform product are willing to, or simply could affor to... Just look at what is happening to Macromedia and the problem they're having with Flash Player. The main reason there has not been a version of Flash Player for 64-bits (either Windows, Mac or Linux) is simply because how intrincate it is to code for each of these platforms, API pitfalls left aside, they lack competent people to do the coding too, and there are a lot porgrammers (Linux programmers) that will refuse to work on proprietary projects, so it is a problem where even the good ol' Linux programmers may alienate the plaform from "proprietary" software, which is yet an issue that has not been discussed enough, in my opinion.

We all live in an imperfect world and we never get anything for free, someone has to pay for it. But in this case most of these costs are handled by the framework, so an ordinary vendor doesn't have to pay them. If you follow the advice of wyoGuide the costs for cross-platform are less than 1% and are therefore neglectable.

Sure Flash is a little different since Flash is much more closer to the hardware than most normal applications like Office, Mailer, Browser, etc but still Flash could have profited from cross-platform instead of multi-platform.

O. Wyss

well first this post is spam cause nobody asked a question about this so in that sense it's unethical. Don't get me wrong the amount of time you put into writing a small wxWidgets tutorial is admirable if it's not copy paste. Perhaps it should be labeled a small wxWidgets tutorial rather than all the pie in the sky stuff. Do you have a stake in wxWidgets in some way and that's the reason for the spam ? Frankly wxWidgets is more for windows programmers who want their programms to run on Linux not the other way around because it is a clone of MFC which we don't know to start with.

My favorite cross platform app was cdrecord
it supportes like 500 hardware devices across twenty something operating systems across like a dozen different platforms.
WOW

The Linux people hate it because it is not Linux specific enough and the developer refuses to make Linux a specific case apart from basic standards.

wyo,

Talk to the authors of one of Bruce Peren's Open Source books (http://www.phptr.com/promotions/prom...4&redir=1&rl=1) called "Cross-Platform GUI Programming with wxWidgets" if you really want to push your cause. If you have something new and interesting to add, it could and should be included in the book.

You've set up tons of webpages, wikipedia entries, etc. for your guide. I'm not saying for you to get rid of those, but if you are looking for recognition (or page hits) linuxquestions isn't the place to get it. Stick to asking questions or providing real answers.

-A