On 16 Dec 2006, at 17:29, Bill Wohler wrote: > I'm embarking on a new project using Java/Swing which is expected to > run in a GNU/Linux environment. I'm contemplating using the HIG > instead of the JLFDG as I've always done and using the GTK look and > feel rather than the default Swing look and feel. I'd be interested in > hearing your views on the pros and cons of both of these decisions. > > Also, does that opinion change if the application is expected to run > on more than one platform (like Windows or Mac).
It won't surprise you to know that we often have the same discussions inside Sun :) So far, we've always concluded that Java apps should just continue to follow the Java guidelines. At the same time, we've been continually improving the gtk+ L&F for Swing, with the eventual aim that the gtk+ L&F that will do as much of the work of ensuring GNOME HIG compliance as possible, when the Java app is running in a GNOME environment. We're certainly not there yet (especially wrt button order and file dialogs), but Java 6 is a further improvement over Java 5 in that regard. > One last question: Since the development of the JLFDG seems to be dead > and the HIG community seems quite active and contains Sun members, are > there any thoughts about deprecating the JLFDG in favor of the HIG at > some time in the future? I don't have any official (or even unofficial) news on the JLFDG, but with the recent open sourcing of Java, I wouldn't be surprised if there are some moves to freshen it up again. (Ideally we'd just open source the existing guidelines, but there may be issues with our publisher there.) Cheeri, Calum. -- CALUM BENSON, Usability Engineer Sun Microsystems Ireland mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Java Desktop System Team http://blogs.sun.com/calum +353 1 819 9771 Any opinions are personal and not necessarily those of Sun Microsystems _______________________________________________ Usability mailing list [email protected] http://mail.gnome.org/mailman/listinfo/usability
