"Do it on your own" vs "here's a lib for that"

[KMatle]

Using a lib is nice and easy. For learning reasons I always recommend to do it on your own to know how to handle views (and all of the obstacles ). What do you think?

 

[MikeH]

I prefer to do my own, it keeps the code small as youre only adding what you need rather than a whole lib of stuff. Also, I code for both Android and iOS and libs are not always available for both. So if Ive written it for one, its usually very straightforward to port that to the other.

 

[Cableguy]

In the end, it all depends of what you are trying to achieve... For something's, or some developers, there's no other choice than a ready made lib, due to the difficulty of the task, for other situations or developers, "I'll do it myself" is the way...
When ever possible, i try to come up with my own solutions, but sometimes it's just over my skills

 

[ilan]

Using a lib is nice and easy. For learning reasons I always recommend to do it on your own to know how to handle views (and all of the obstacles ). What do you think?

it depends on what kind of lib it is.
lets take for example Box2d. trying to write all physics by yourself can take you some years and i am not sure you will get the same result so why not learn all methods box2d has and use it in your games.

so "do it on your own" is not always the right way. i am not saying you should use for every simple thing a 3rd party lib but some libs are very useful and should be used.

 

[wonder]

 

[JordiCP]

"Do I want to understand the solution?"

This is a good one!

 

[Cableguy]

I also like the "do i feel like codding"

 

[RVP]

How about, do I have the time? For people who are doing this for their own purposes, choosing to roll your own may be an option so you know how to do it, but most of the apps I write are for client. So they have to be completed within a certain budget. So I use as many libraries as I can, and only write what is unique to the app, or I can't find a library for.

 

[JakeBullet70]

For me... I want libraries with code. That way if I am busy and on the budget and if I do NEED a fix or to add something. I can do it. I miss the old days when b4a had no libraries and everyone posted source code.

 

[Informatix]

I miss the old days when b4a had no libraries and everyone posted source code.

The libraries written in Java provide views and functions that are not easy to create/reproduce with B4x only (although we can see a lot of recent libraries that could be easily done with B4x only), so I don't regret the era where libraries were very scarce because the B4x possibilities were also very limited. The good question, from my point of view, is: why this community does not share the source code of libraries while it's a habit in the Java world (where it is very uncommon to find a library with no source code). I can only answer for me:
1 - When I started making libraries for B4a, it was a bit pointless to share the code as the libs were written in Java, which was not a language mastered by the B4x community. We were less than 10 to create libraries. Now there are more and more people able to understand/compile/improve Java code in this forum so this point is no longer relevant.
2 - My first attempts were poorly written. Being glad to provide something useful to everyone is one thing, letting people read the horrible code you wrote for that is another. Now, with decompilers, anyone can see how a terrible programmer you are.
3 - I noticed that almost noone here forks the published code. I think that I'm the only one that published a library (MediaBrowser) built upon the source code of another B4x developer to enhance it. And I see regularly people asking for a change in a source code that is available to anyone. You can find some of my posts saying: "hey guy, you have the source code, so make the change yourself". I really wonder sometimes why I shared the source code.
4 - It seems that people are very disappointed by my work because the number of likes is far below the number of downloads (ScrollView2D: 681 downloads for version 1.3, more than 4000 downloads of previous versions, only 12 likes). And I don't speak of donations, which are very close to none (except ULV and ProBundle where donate is mandatory). So why should I share the code?

 

[JakeBullet70]

I should clarify though it is more the b4a code I am speaking of and not the Java code for the reasons you mentioned.

@Informatix I myself love your work and have both ULV and ProBundle and your support is excellent. As for me I do not do Java work but just b4a and when I do do something I always post the source code. Ugly or not. I have learned so much from reading other peoples code and that is what I miss.

Some of my SUPER ugly code!!!!! And there is more...
https://www.b4x.com/android/forum/threads/5-card-poker-scoring.33116/
But I posted it.

One thing I do think of now is that more code is posted in b4j. hhhhmmmm. maybe because Erel gives it away for free?????

I noticed that almost no one here forks the published code.

I also noticed that but to each his own.
But honestly, if people here get free code from Java land and then ask for a donation to convert this free Java code to b4a that they spent a few hours on to convert?
What about the Java guy who wrote it first... How many hours did he spend on it??? Is he asking for a donation?

Capitalism is alive and working.. So sad...

I do not know.... Just my 2 kopeck.

ULV and ProBundle??? Not a wrap of someones code. Worth the money!!!! I use it everyday. Thanks.

Again, Just my 2 kopeck.