Topic: Desktop Applications

What would you use to develop desktop applications like these?

http://examples.adobe.com/flex3/devnet/dashboard/main.html

http://examples.adobe.com/flex2/inproduct/sdk/dashboard/dashboard.html

Flex isn't an option because it would be client only, no server.

Air isn't an option either, for me, because I really don't care for the "signing".

What I do love about Flex and Air is the richness of the interface (the controls for the UI are beautiful) and the functionality - linking applets, drilling down by clicking on a chart, resizing, hiding, etc.

Is there anything out there that can be used to create HTML/HTA desktop applications without a steep learning curve?

Something with components - I want to focus my efforts and time on the content, not the container, but I want a state of the art container. Best of both worlds.

Data would be stored in XML.

Nature & Travel Photography
Main Entrance

(Edited by SleepingWolf on 12-06-2009 18:58)

(Edited by SleepingWolf on 12-06-2009 18:59)

I'm no great fan of Adobe, but I don't see why it can't be Flex... "because it would be client only". I mean it's just Flash, optimally built from a free SDK.
Have you already discounted YUI?

Titanium Desktop might be what you are after. Looks like the documentation is under the community button.


http://www.appcelerator.com/products/titanium-desktop/

For some reason I was under the impression Flex required a server...thanks for setting me straight.

YUI and Titanium Desktop both looking interesting as well.

Thanks!

Nature & Travel Photography
Main Entrance

http://reisio.com/AS3Flex2b3StarterFiles.zip (I forget where I got this... maybe some robots.txt-blocked page deep on adobe.com... it seemed hard to find again)

thanks!

Nature & Travel Photography
Main Entrance

http://www.adobe.com/devnet/air/articles/signing_air_applications.html

quote:

---

In this article, I'll show you how to sign your Adobe AIR applications for distribution with a digitally signed certificate from an authorized certificate authority (CA). And if you're just getting started with Adobe AIR and don't want to shell out money, you can always sign your application with an untrusted certificate to allow the AIR runtime to install your application as UNVERIFIED publisher to get you through your testing cycle.

---

flex is great ... I assume Air is the same

If you're new to them then do try to think about how you're going to develop. It will quickly turn into a mess of xml mixed with actionscript spaghetti if you follow the coding style from the examples. Be sure to look up "flex best practices" on google.

Yes, I realize you don't have to buy a certificate, but then it leaves the user with the impression that something is fishy.

Honestly, I wouldn't be surprised if this is a way Adobe gets kickbacks from the certificate vendors.

I hope other vendors don't follow suit, what a waste of money.

Nature & Travel Photography
Main Entrance

Adobe AIR is great. I'm currently using it to develop a music player. The signing thing is really an issue, but it's cheap at least