Is my application a Mac application ?

[TeppefallGuy]

Am I worthy ?

I have built an application which I have named Surface. It is a Java 2D prototype tool that lets you write 2D renderers in Javascript and develop code in the same way you develop for internet browsers.

http://us.teppefall.com/whitepaper,460,0.jspn

My question is: Is my application a Mac OS X application ? Or have I missed something. I know that the dialogs and file selector is a bit bork bork in Mac land, but is there something else I have missed ?

TeppefallGuy

(bad grammar/spelling due to sleeping in english class and generally just being a lazy bum)

 

[slooksterPSV]

Am I worthy ?

I have built an application which I have named Surface. It is a Java 2D prototype tool that lets you write 2D renderers in Javascript and develop code in the same way you develop for internet browsers.

http://us.teppefall.com/whitepaper,460,0.jspn

My question is: Is my application a Mac OS X application ? Or have I missed something. I know that the dialogs and file selector is a bit bork bork in Mac land, but is there something else I have missed ?

TeppefallGuy

(bad grammar/spelling due to sleeping in english class and generally just being a lazy bum)

If it was built with totally just Java, I'd say its a cross-platform program, built for Java embedded systems - e.g. Linux, Mac, Windows, Solaris, etc. So it'd be a transversal (is that right?) program, able to run on *nix, Linux, Mac, Windows, Solaris, etc.

 

[TeppefallGuy]

If it was built with totally just Java, I'd say its a cross-platform program, built for Java embedded systems - e.g. Linux, Mac, Windows, Solaris, etc. So it'd be a transversal (is that right?) program, able to run on *nix, Linux, Mac, Windows, Solaris, etc.

Yeah, I guess that is correct. I was just wondering if I missed something Mac spesific in the application. Like, should all applications have the Window menu and the Preference menuitem.

 

[slooksterPSV]

Yeah, I guess that is correct. I was just wondering if I missed something Mac spesific in the application. Like, should all applications have the Window menu and the Preference menuitem.

No, some apps don't, but they're purely Mac applications. Now Apple's specifications on a true Mac App may be different. Some apps don't have Preference Menu items because there is nothing to configure cause the application does one purpose or that.

I say if it looks like its a Mac Windowed app and it functions then its a Mac application. X11 apps, I do not consider Mac Apps. Anyways, Java... Java is take a higher role in programs and programming. So Java is any OS program. BTW I didn't know Java could do the top menu's, that's awesome.

 

[mduser63]

The presence of an Open menu entry without a corresponding Save entry is strange. Unless it's just a viewer of course. If there are Preferences that can be configured, there should be a Preferences menu entry in the application menu (with a command-, shortcut).

 

[slooksterPSV]

The presence of an Open menu entry without a corresponding Save entry is strange. Unless it's just a viewer of course. If there are Preferences that can be configured, there should be a Preferences menu entry in the application menu (with a command-, shortcut).

Actually some apps you need to open a file and never save out a file or anything like that. This is very very common, if you use tons of apps like I do, some, like iTunes, don't have a Save to save the song because you convert the song, rather you can save playlists... let's see that's about it for that one. QuickTime is another great example, if you're just watching movies, there's no reason to upgrade to pro to save file (unless you're a Video/Audio Artist that needs that capability). Media players are the best example of not saving files (except Playlists of course, but that's about it). Um... another example... let's see... wow, media players are about it that I can think of off the top of my head. System Preferences doesn't have a File Menu nor an Open MenuItem, but that stands as its a GUI interface. Oh oh oh, how about Calculator - can't open, but you can save your tape. Depends on the function though.

Hope that makes sense. Yeah.

 

[mduser63]

Actually some apps you need to open a file and never save out a file or anything like that. This is very very common, if you use tons of apps like I do, some, like iTunes, don't have a Save to save the song because you convert the song, rather you can save playlists... let's see that's about it for that one. QuickTime is another great example, if you're just watching movies, there's no reason to upgrade to pro to save file (unless you're a Video/Audio Artist that needs that capability). Media players are the best example of not saving files (except Playlists of course, but that's about it). Um... another example... let's see... wow, media players are about it that I can think of off the top of my head. System Preferences doesn't have a File Menu nor an Open MenuItem, but that stands as its a GUI interface. Oh oh oh, how about Calculator - can't open, but you can save your tape. Depends on the function though.

Hope that makes sense. Yeah.

Yeah, that's why I qualified it by saying "Unless it's just a viewer". His app looks like a "creation" kind of application, so it seems like saving would be good. Especially since it's apparently possible to open a file. Anyway, of course he knows better than I what the capabilities of his program are.

 

[slooksterPSV]

Yeah, that's why I qualified it by saying "Unless it's just a viewer". His app looks like a "creation" kind of application, so it seems like saving would be good. Especially since it's apparently possible to open a file. Anyway, of course he knows better than I what the capabilities of his program are.

It's an aweesome looking program, heck maybe I'll download it. Maybe he can integrate that saving function as well, to save the thing out to a JS file.

What about Export, would you define that as a Save function? Big difference sometimes, otherwise its not even different from Save. Hmm... never thought of that (sorry I think a lot).

Why does it run slow on Windows? Did you do an optimization for bloated-ness, but quick-ness? Or did you do it for small size and slowness?

Curious

 

[TeppefallGuy]

Wow guys. Thanks for the excellent input.

A save function might be on the way. The tricky bit is to create a resource manager that allows Surface to save the *.js, any images and whatever the user requires in his rendering code. Could be based on annotated comments maybe.

slooksterPSV
tile.js/scale.js on Windows is slow because Sun is using an unoptimized DirectDraw routine. Mac and Unix uses a direct OpenGL call I think.

Surface now pretty much works like a PDF viewer of sorts.

And another thing: http://javaposse.com/ might air a podcast about Surface this week. I am famous

 

[slooksterPSV]

Wow guys. Thanks for the excellent input.

A save function might be on the way. The tricky bit is to create a resource manager that allows Surface to save the *.js, any images and whatever the user requires in his rendering code. Could be based on annotated comments maybe.

slooksterPSV
tile.js/scale.js on Windows is slow because Sun is using an unoptimized DirectDraw routine. Mac and Unix uses a direct OpenGL call I think.

Surface now pretty much works like a PDF viewer of sorts.

And another thing: http://javaposse.com/ might air a podcast about Surface this week. I am famous

Oh I see, dang. That's hurting Windows right there.

 

[Yuvi]

BTW I didn't know Java could do the top menu's, that's awesome.

The even cooler thing is that it doesn't even require changing any code: just define com.apple.macos.useScreenMenuBar to true when launching the Java application.

What about Export, would you define that as a Save function? Big difference sometimes, otherwise its not even different from Save. Hmm... never thought of that (sorry I think a lot).

I'd argue that Export is more for converting the document into a foreign format and Save is for the native formats. A good example of this is QuickTime Pro, whose save function only saves the exact structure of the movie that you're editing in QT's native mov container, whereas export converts the movie into a different format, merging multiple tracks if you have them. But there is a lot of overlap with Save As..., and most applications just lump in exporting with it, which is fine for most programs.

As far as Surface, not many Mac applications lack a Window menu. The only ones I have are some random .jars, an old port of XEmacs for Aqua, KiGB, and Port Authority, most of which are decidedly not Mac-like. (side note: I noticed in looking through my apps for this that an application I've been using for a month now had 2 Window menus, with different options...) Although not really necessary, I'd say your app should have one, only because you can open multiple document windows in your app.

Some superficial comments on menu item placement: is there a reason why are the export functions under the View menu? I've always thought of them as File operations, and thought of the View menu being more for functions that change how data is displayed on-screen. Same question with the zoom/rotate functions under Graphics; they seem like View commands to me.

Still, looks nice!

 

[slooksterPSV]

...

Some superficial comments on menu item placement: is there a reason why are the export functions under the View menu? I've always thought of them as File operations, and thought of the View menu being more for functions that change how data is displayed on-screen. Same question with the zoom/rotate functions under Graphics; they seem like View commands to me.

Still, looks nice!

You are absolutely right [last paragraph of comments]. Export under view doesn't make any sense to me, zoom/rotate under Graphics is argueable. Now under the view menu, I could zoom to see specifics, otherwise, if its for how it handles the JavaScript and the user wants to include a Zoom/rotate "Filter" that is handled under the Graphics Menu that would be feasible as well. ... I need to learn Java, Java is kick ***. C++ is good don't get me wrong, but memory management is a pain and I don't know how to code in C#.

 

[TeppefallGuy]

Good points from both of you.

The reason why the menuitems are they way they are is because my File and View menu code is horrible Like three years old and full of crazy connections to everywhere and nowhere. Needs a cleanup.

I guess exports should be in File and graphics stuff under View, but I have to see if it balances out.

 

[mrichmon]

My question is: Is my application a Mac OS X application ?

To make the application launch nicely as an application under OS X you need to package the Java application up using the OS X Jar Bundler application. This produces an application that launches cleanly like any other OS X applciation rather than exposing the Java runtime controls when the application is running.

 

[TeppefallGuy]

To make the application launch nicely as an application under OS X you need to package the Java application up using the OS X Jar Bundler application. This produces an application that launches cleanly like any other OS X applciation rather than exposing the Java runtime controls when the application is running.

Yup, my app already does that. It is a .app application just like Safari and Mail I just call a shell script and my build server spits out Windows and Mac OS X zip files with the latest build.

 

[TeppefallGuy]

Sneak preview of Surface 1.3

 

[TeppefallGuy]

Image created by Surface. Video data was imported live using JMyron. Logic written in Javascript.

http://us.teppefall.com/whitepaper,466,0.jspn