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RE: [platform-swt-dev] SWT 101


Joe, not only did I point you to a document that describes how SWT layout works and why, I fixed the code you posted.
What more do you want?  I suggest you go use another window toolkit that is better designed to meet your needs.



"Joe Pluta" <joepluta@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent by: platform-swt-dev-admin@xxxxxxxxxxx

02/27/2003 02:44 PM
Please respond to platform-swt-dev

       
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        Subject:        RE: [platform-swt-dev] SWT 101



I'm hardly arriving late, Steve.  I'm arriving from the standpoint of trying to adapt SWT to my business based on the information you have made available.
 
I've read both these documents and neither one answered my problems.  I actually got more information from the examples in the Eclipse deliverable.  Just the fact that you point me to other articles shows how lacking the SWT documentation is.  A combination of Javadoc and tutorials should give me the information I need to use the package.  I still don't
 
As to being full of criticisms, that's what we do in the real world.  I invite criticism of my code.  It's a chance to better myself.  But it's obvious that here my comments are being perceived as attacks.
 
This seems to be becoming a standard at IBM - if someone criticizes what you do, you get defensive.  Rather than engage in a discussion of the merits, you instead insist that you are right and the reader is wrong.  It's an interesting trend, and bodes very poorly for the future of the software.  If you can't get past the (understandable) pride of authorship, you are going to have problems.
 
Anyway, all that aside, let me say this:
 
1. Many of the concepts in SWT are far better thought out than those in Swing.  The FormLayout in particular is an incredibly intelligent piece of work.
 
2. The look and feel of SWT applications is much better than those of base Swing.  And while I haven't performed stringent performance tests, in general the performance seems much crisper.
 
3. The amount of work in making this happen has obviously been prodigious.  You should definitely be proud of yourselves as a group for having created this wonderful technology.
 
At the same time, it ain't the universal panacaea.  It needs work, and I hope you'll allow those of us who have been in the trenches for a while (I published a book on using Java in 2000, Steve) to help you design the next generation of the software.  Convenience methods and intuitive (that is, commonly accepted) practices will help in the acceptance of your efforts.
 
I apologize if I've somehow belittled any of the members of the team.  I've been developing software for a long time now, and perhaps I've forgotten what it's like to bring a new technology baby into the world.  Again, you should be proud.
 
Joe
 
From: Steve_Northover@xxxxxxxxxx

Joe, instead of arriving late at the party full of criticisms and design decisions, expecting

everything to work exactly as you would have designed it, then complaining when it doesn't,

why don't you try and educate yourself first?  For example, here's some good documents

that describe widgets and layout:


http://eclipse.org/articles/Understanding%20Layouts/Understanding%20Layouts.htm

http://eclipse.org/articles/Article-Writing%20Your%20Own%20Widget/Writing%20Your%20Own%20Widget.htm


Have you read these?



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