It would be great if there was an implementation of SWT control APIs on top of Apache Pivot.
This would enable developers to leverage the large body of existing Java/SWT/RCP/JFace/Draw2D/GEF/EclipsePlugin code. Developers could create web based versions of their tools (from the same code base as their desktop versions). They wouldn't have to rewrite Java into Flex/ActionScript, JavaFx, Silverlight, Ajax/Html/Javascript. Developers would be free to choose how to partition their java code between the applet portion and the app server portion. Use cases: 1. Web based / graphical RIA front ends for business analysts and administrators (workflow/bpm editors, database modeling, UML, form designers, report designers, repository mgt) 2. Potentially editing / debugging small amount of glue code (javascript/groovy,etc. for workflows, forms, reports, etc.) by developers, admin 3. Not for heavy dev, not full web based Eclipse IDE (but if all eclipse worked that would be the ultimate test) 4. Cloud admin 5. Web based targeting for general custom RCP applications Existing Eclipse web based tech: 1. RAP (no support for Draw2D/GEF graphics, might be less responsive due to remoting between client controls and server based controls/state) 2. e4 cross-compile SWT/Java to ActionScript/Flash project seems to have died (and technique isn't practical for large existing code bases, using many java libs that would have to be translated too) Eclipse e4 http://www.eclipse.org/e4/ http://wiki.eclipse.org/E4 additional synergy: 1. Eclipse e4 is dong work to tier Eclipse between client/server pieces ( http://wiki.eclipse.org/E4/Bespin ) 2. Support added for CSS styling, flexible look and feel 3. XWT / XWT tooling is geared to SWT but maybe there is a tie in with WTKX 4. Maybe Pivot could be an additional target for the modeled UI. Also saw a presentation modeling framework project. Also see: SWT port on top of Swing (I know Pivot doesn't use Swing but swtswing proves the SWT control apis could be implemented on top of something else) http://swtswing.sourceforge.net/main/index.html Swtswing is used by EOS: Eclipse on Swing http://eos.sourceforge.net/ Note: I did see the thread in this mailing list http://mail-archives.apache.org/mod_mbox/pivot-dev/201003.mbox/%3cBA3B1294-0 [email protected]%3e about potential Pivot abstraction layer that would allow Pivot apps to run on top of Java2D, SWT, other things. Also saw the Eclipse dev threads http://dev.eclipse.org/mhonarc/lists/eclipse-dev/msg08814.html and http://dev.eclipse.org/mhonarc/lists/platform-swt-dev/msg06886.html about Pivot on top of SWT I know I am suggesting the reverse of Pivot on top of SWT. I think developers would be just happy to get their existing RCP/SWT code to work web-based first with SWT on top of Pivot. (Would also need Eclipse Draw2D on top of Java2D for GEF editors. Some existing work http://www.holongate.org/ ). Thanks Steve Reiner www.integratedsemantics.org www.integratedsemantics.com www.twitter.com/stevereiner
