On a programming web forum someone said regarding Lazarus: On just cursory review, looks compelling. However, I get so little call these days for native/desktop applications. Seems everyone wants web now.
I replied: I agree that web applications are far superior in many situations. Compared to desktop applications they are much easier to deploy, much easier to upgrade, they work across multiple platforms, the user experience is much richer (easier to layout, video, audio integration, css transitions), data handling is easier (no need for local database server or local database connection configurations), and of course web applications go much better with the software as a service subscription or pricing model. That said, desktop applications have a better time working with local resources like files, scanners, printers (though cloud services for storage and printing make this less relevant), are usually more responsive, they obviously have better desktop integration (copy and paste, drag and drop), usually have better user interface layout management (docking windows, toolbars, menus), better performance, better direct access to memory data structures (think of images editing accessing pixels, editing audio waveform samples), and are better for applications which require long time processing like encoding videos or recording audio. That said, I prefer desktop software for doings tasks, which I think is what most computer enthusiasts want to do. I write desktop software to automatically scan Craigslist and eBay for collectibles which interest me. I write desktop software to monitor video feeds with OpenCV. I write desktop software to make games with SDL2/GLESV2. On so on ... I guess what it comes down to is this: For businesses web development is probably a better fit for their software needs. For people who are computer enthusiasts that use their computers to process tasks or solve problems, desktop development is probably better. What are your opinions on the subject title ?
-- _______________________________________________ Lazarus mailing list Lazarus@lists.lazarus.freepascal.org http://lists.lazarus.freepascal.org/mailman/listinfo/lazarus