Just have to comment on how easy it was for me to extend my B4J app to B4i

[cjpryor]

Just have to comment on how easy it was for me to extend my B4J app to B4i

Per recommendations, I used B4XPages to build a rather complicated desktop application in B4J. I promised my customers that I would develop an iOS version next. I was pleasantly surprised by how easy the extension has been so far. Within a matter of days I have a nearly fully functional iOS app that uses the same code base as my desktop B4J app! Amazing!

Most of my time was spend copying and pasting components from the many B4J layouts I have into the corresponding B4i layouts. I easily corrected some differences in components between B4J and B4i with the #If (compiler directives) syntax.

I still have a few issues to work out but I had no idea that I would have made this much progress on a fully functional iOS version of my app in a matter of days.

This ability to use the same code base for multiple platforms (namely Windows, Mac, Linux, iOS and Android) is why I chose to use B4X.

To be honest, my only worry is what happens if Erel stops supporting it. I have to assume there is some sort of long term support/transition plan in place in case Erel has to move on for whatever reason.

Thanks Erel and the B4X team, whoever you are.

Clay

 

[OliverA]

To be honest, my only worry is what happens if Erel stops supporting it. I have to assume there is some sort of long term support/transition plan in place in case Erel has to move on for whatever reason.

As with developer products that have been abandoned by other companies, you'll have to adapt. I see this coming up now and then in the forum (the fear of discontinuation), but as has been shown in the recent years (and many examples have been pointed out in various forums threads), the size of a corporation for a developer product that you are using does not guarantee the continuance of the developer product by that corporation. Therefore a developer has to always be aware that now and then one may have to adapt a newer developer product. Nothing seems eternal in this day and age.

 

[cjpryor]

Therefore a developer has to always be aware that now and then one may have to adapt a newer developer product. Nothing seems eternal in this day and age.

Yes, and along those lines, in my opinion, the "safest" long term alternative would have been to code for each platform in it's most supported native language/IDE. In my experience, the preferred/supported IDEs tend to change (with migration paths provided) but, for the most part, the underlying language/technology tends to stay persistent.

However, I chose the B4X shortcut so I would not have to come up to speed in each of those environments. Most likely, reverting back to native language/IDEs for each platform is my fall-back position if B4X is no longer supported in the future. If that becomes the case B4X would have been a good prototyping tool in preparation for native app development.



Thanks!

p.s., cloud computing is out of the question for me. I have been building web applications since they became a thing. However, that was within an infrastructure environment where most risks were mitigated for me. For me at least, the risks and liability of attempting to do that "in the wild" are much greater than any potential rewards.

 

[OliverA]

Most likely, reverting back to native language/IDEs for each platform is my fall-back position if B4X is no longer supported in the future.

Nope. I would look for another transcompiler like B4X. Actually, I'm imagining a time when B4X can compile to Dart/Swift or any other language that becomes the new backbone of some target device.

 

[cjpryor]

Nope. I would look for another transcompiler like B4X.

I would agree if ... they are as capable AND as affordable as B4X. However, the last time I checked, there are none. I looked at others (won't mention any names) before choosing B4X. The promising ones were way out of my price range - obviously targeting Enterprises. The more affordable options were no where near as capable as B4X. So, I will of course do another market scan, but given what I know of now, most-likely I will revert to native language/IDEs for each platform.