Most of us are used to work with Java on the server side and ignored or neglected Java at the client side. A lot happened in the last few years to make development for the client side in Java more appealing and to make the user interfaces more attractive.
The XUL frameworks
play an important role to make the developer's and graphical designer's life a lot easier. XUL, which stands for XML User interface Language, was brought to everybody's attention in the late nineties when it was introduced with the Mozilla browser. Since then a lot of Java implementations of XML-based User interface Languages appeared, of which JellySwing, Thinlet, XUI and SwingML are the best known. To make life even easiers, some of the above frameworks even allow you to define the style in a seperate file, just as CSS does for HTML. There is only one bad thing about these frameworks, they are not interoperable, there is no universal accepted standard for XUL as there is for HTML or XHTML for example. You can not reuse the XML you wrote for one of the frameworks with another framework, they all define their own XML User interface Language.
The most heard complaint about client side applications in Java is that they are so ugly. This is one of the biggest misconceptions about Swing! The only problem is that it takes a lot of effort to make a good look and feel for Java applications. To make life easier, on javatoo.com you can find look and feels that you can easily incorporate in your own applications. Applications build with the look and feel of JGoodies or Skin Look And Feel look a lot better than when you use the standard look and feel!
Another approach is to build rich internet applications by taking advantage of the fact that a lot of people have the Flash plugin installed in their browser and that SWF can be dynamically generated on the server side by tools like OpenLaszlo or by using Flex. Both make use of XML based User interface Language, but here the XML is generated or written on the server side and compiled and send to the client to be executed by the Flash plugin in the browser.
Last but not least, there are new efforts like JDIC, which can be used to access native compontents (access to the browser, the tray, etc...) from within Java applications, and JDNC, which provides richer components, a higher level API and a XML User interface Language. These can greatly simplify development of Java desktop clients.
In this workshop, we will try to show the latest innovations in the above areas.
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Good idea,
some more pointers/stuff to talk about maybe:
(also: JGoodies has a lot more to offer then just the looks, the great forms-layout component surely deserves his own slot if you ask me)
any rough date estimation already?
Spring-RCP is also on our list with potential topics/speakers
. Never heard of GlazedLists though...
The event will probably take place in the beginning of March...
Just for completion because too far away for being potential speakers
Seems to be a growing community of developers using Flash combined with Java in France. I have contacted them for a speaker.
Not immediately something to do with Java, but a must have for a polished UI: icons!
Here are some links to great looking icons:
In reply to a mail by Gerald Bauer
:
.
When I was writing the overview, I've tried to be as complete as possible. But when you list some example products/frameworks/libraries, there is always one that you 'forget'. If you have some interesting links, feel free to add them as a comment! That is one of the big advantages of having a wiki
Anybody out there who has experience with WidgetServer
(WiSer) ?
This is a Java/XML server-side GUI-framework which enables an application to run as either
-Â a monolithic application with a Swing GUI,
-Â a client/server application with a thin Swing client,
-Â or as an application with a rich Web client based on HTML and JavaScript
Any plans for a talk about Eclipse RCP
? Looks very interesting.
Bram,
I've been trying to contact you the last few weeks, but all the mails I sent bounced
. Can you mail me directly? (see my profile for my mail address)
Sorry. when I have to leave my address on the net, I always use an alias email that I let expire after a few weeks, to avoid spam.
My real address is in your mail, or you can use the one in my profile, but that one will bounce in a couple of weeks
Don't forget IBM's recent entry into the Rich Client area, with SWT/JFace/Eclipse - based Workplace Client Technology.
With it's built-in relational database (Cloudscape), replication technology and EJB container, it could become the platform-independent desktop of the future!
You can find out more about it at:
http://www-128.ibm.com/developerworks/lotus/library/wct-architecture/
and a redpaper at:
http://www.redbooks.ibm.com/Redbooks.nsf/RedbookAbstracts/redp3884.html?Open
There is still place in this workshop and if we can find an experienced (belgian) developer who knows the inner workings of Eclipse RCP very well (preferably core developer/committer) then we would definitely consider a presentation about this! I already started searching and talked to Bram about this also, but haven't found a good speaker yet...
I found it a worthwhile workshop. Especially the talks by Dirk Bäumer on Eclipse RCP, Frédéric Lavigne on L&F's, and the XUI guys from Ireland and the OpenLaszlo guys from Belgium.
Nice to here you liked it! Speakers like to know if they are on the right track! Constructive criticism is also welcome of course, this enables the speakers (and BeJUG in general) to do an even better job in the future...
It is 'nice to hear' of course