RE: SWT or Swing GUI?

["Stefan Baramov" <s_baramov@bellsouth.net>]

One other little thing about SWT:

If you are planning to use TableGrids be aware that SWT Table component is
not very good. It does not have cell control and it is not very flexible.
So, if you are planning to use Data Grid intensively, Swing is a better
choice.

- Stefan

-----Original Message-----
From: Stefan Baramov [mailto:s_baramov@bellsouth.net]
Sent: Monday, August 18, 2003 8:42 AM
To: Ajug Members
Cc: Lee Chalupa
Subject: RE: SWT or Swing GUI?


Why I would you SWT:
- Native look and feel - it looks like your OS native GUI. Consider XP,
Gnome and KDE. All of them have their own skin engine. In this case Swing
looks ...... different. No consistence

Why I would you Swing/JFC:
- Deployment platform may vary, no resources for platform testing are
available.
- Custom ( and OS different) look and feel is required.

But in both case you have to be very careful with GUI resources such as
pictures, dialog boxes, windows and so one. With both libraries it is quite
easy to create a "fat" application that sucks up all you resources.

On a side note, GUI Designers:
- Swing - JBuilder personal edition
- SWT - Advance SWT Designer http://www.swt-designer.com/


Historical note:
http://www.mail-archive.com/jug-discussion@tucson-jug.org/msg00355.html

Good luck Lee,
Stefan Baramov

-----Original Message-----
From: Lee Chalupa [mailto:lchalupa@seelink.org]
Sent: Saturday, August 16, 2003 3:37 PM
To: Ajug Members
Subject: SWT or Swing GUI?


Hello.

I need to start development of a thick client for an application and I am
debating whether to use SWT or Swing.  I presently use swing in the
MagicDraw UML product and I use SWT in Eclipse so I have some significant
experience as a user in each.

I'm very pleased with the MagicDraw application and have no complaints with
it's interface.  Though I do appreciate what people describe as "spongy"
swing controls.  This is a noticable problem but not a significant problem
for me in the MagicDraw swing application but I can't speak for other
users.

My application will be competing against other vendor's gui products that
are best of breed so I really want to avoid any potential performance
issues with the gui from the start. In this case, it's not so much an issue
of Swing versus SWT it's one of these products versus VB or Delphi.

The application is designed for use in a small office so we will have the
ability to control the deployment of the application thus using add-ons to
the JDK like SWT would not be an issue.

As long as SWT still provides platform independence, what is the downside
of using SWT?  One maybe the lack of gui tools?  One maybe the risk that
Sun will improve swing in the future and eliminate the benefits SWT
provides making the need obsolete?  One maybe lack of educational
materials?  One maybe the limited variety of widgets offered in the
toolkit.

I'm currently reading information on various web sites.

Does anyone have any other advice on managing this issue?

Thanks

lee


--
Lee Chalupa
Something Else Enterprises, Inc.
lchalupa@seelink.org
770 318 2377