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Cross platform development is difficult. No way around that.

rbanffy 16y ago
Not necessarily. You just have to plan for it. You will, of course, have some duplication - unless your cross platform means "Linux and BSD", your user interface code will be very different. You will have also to map all the platform dependent parts and prepare to cut your application along those lines. It's more work, but, in the end, your app will probably have a better design than if you targeted a single platform. The better design will show when you have to upgrade it or to add another platform to the mix.
Locke1689 16y ago
Cross graphics-API (D3D to OGL) development is especially difficult.
stcredzero 16y ago
Use Squeak Smalltalk. Your program runs bit-identically across over 40 platforms. Done. Cross platform is easy. Cross-platform with native look & feel - that's hard.
- thought_alarm 16y ago
  Or Java. Or QT. Either way, you end up with something that works terribly on all platforms.
  - stcredzero 16y ago
    Nope. Squeak Smalltalk works great across just about everything. (I assume you can work out the implications of "bit identical.") The UI is quite distinctly non-native on all of them though. Java can't hold a candle to Smalltalk for cross-platform.
    - GeneralMaximus 16y ago
      > The UI is quite distinctly non-native on all of them though. ... which is what really matters to the end user.
      - stcredzero 16y ago
        You get no argument from me there. What about browser based apps? Those have a different set of user expectations. XUL desktop apps, anyone?
        GeneralMaximus 16y ago
        I'm not bashing Squeak here. I know it's a nice development environment. Problem is, people usually judge applications by their UIs. Look at it this way: a desktop application is supposed to complement the features your OS already ships with. An application that doesn't feel like it's a part of the OS confuses people. Heck, I'd say any app that doesn't follow native UI conventions is disrespecting the user, especially if it's a paid app. On non-Windows platforms, XUL apps suck. Period. As for webapps, I don't think anyone expects them to look native. The rules don't apply inside that browser window :p
datasink 16y ago
I'm surprised not to see this in other comments, but RealBASIC is surprisingly awesome for cross-platform application development. It certainly has its limitations (BASIC), but you can crank out Linux, Windows, and Mac executables with nearly no OS-specific code. The enterprise license is $1000, but it was worth it for my company.

Not necessarily. You just have to plan for it. You will, of course, have some duplication - unless your cross platform means "Linux and BSD", your user interface code will be very different. You will have also to map all the platform dependent parts and prepare to cut your application along those lines. It's more work, but, in the end, your app will probably have a better design than if you targeted a single platform. The better design will show when you have to upgrade it or to add another platform to the mix.

Locke1689 16y ago

Cross graphics-API (D3D to OGL) development is especially difficult.

stcredzero 16y ago

Use Squeak Smalltalk. Your program runs bit-identically across over 40 platforms. Done. Cross platform is easy. Cross-platform with native look & feel - that's hard.

thought_alarm 16y ago
Or Java. Or QT. Either way, you end up with something that works terribly on all platforms.
- stcredzero 16y ago
  Nope. Squeak Smalltalk works great across just about everything. (I assume you can work out the implications of "bit identical.") The UI is quite distinctly non-native on all of them though. Java can't hold a candle to Smalltalk for cross-platform.
  - GeneralMaximus 16y ago
    > The UI is quite distinctly non-native on all of them though. ... which is what really matters to the end user.
    - stcredzero 16y ago
      You get no argument from me there. What about browser based apps? Those have a different set of user expectations. XUL desktop apps, anyone?
      - GeneralMaximus 16y ago
        I'm not bashing Squeak here. I know it's a nice development environment. Problem is, people usually judge applications by their UIs. Look at it this way: a desktop application is supposed to complement the features your OS already ships with. An application that doesn't feel like it's a part of the OS confuses people. Heck, I'd say any app that doesn't follow native UI conventions is disrespecting the user, especially if it's a paid app. On non-Windows platforms, XUL apps suck. Period. As for webapps, I don't think anyone expects them to look native. The rules don't apply inside that browser window :p

datasink 16y ago

I'm surprised not to see this in other comments, but RealBASIC is surprisingly awesome for cross-platform application development. It certainly has its limitations (BASIC), but you can crank out Linux, Windows, and Mac executables with nearly no OS-specific code. The enterprise license is $1000, but it was worth it for my company.