Other Promoting B4J - What do you think?

[Erel]

While there are many programming language available today, including free tools, there aren't many quality RAD (rapid application development) tools.
As I see it, B4J, especially after the latest update which adds an internal designer, is a good candidate to to be a very popular programming language / tool. I think of it as a modern VB6. A tool to get the job done.
It can also be a good choice for teaching programming.

How can we better promote B4J? What do you think?

 

[amaxco]

IMHO, the one most important concern is libraries and/or wrappers developed by the expert members. There has to be a standard pipeline through which they eventually become a genuine B4X feature.

 

[moster67]

IMHO, the one most important concern is libraries and/or wrappers developed by the expert members. There has to be a standard pipeline through which they eventually become a genuine B4X feature.

Can you elaborate?

 

[amaxco]

Can you elaborate?

Hi to everyone

refer to this link as an example https://www.b4x.com/android/forum/threads/reporting-with-nextreport.37547/#post-272988

Let us assume you took the initiative and others joined you to realize this project. What road map the team would follow in order finally produce this product which will be announced as a new feature in the next B4X release.

Apart from the job itself and the effort exerted, what are the criteria required by Anywhere Software that would qualify and feature the product? How will we as a community be allowed, by voting maybe, to be part in this process at any relevant stage?

I hope I explained what I meant to say.

 

[Cableguy]

@amaxco, Any member can, has many have done, create libs and/or tools for any of the B4X products, and distribute them as he sees fit, free or paid.
I for instance, have created a B4X-Launcher, that allows any of the BAX IDE's to be more easily launched, as well as other extra features, and I provide it Free.
@alwaysbusy has his amazing B4J based framework, and he chose to make it donation ware.
@Informatix has a set of libraries he calls ProBundle, and he prefered to sell them.
All this, to show that, any user, or users can develop tools to help and be support tools for any of B4X product, but very hardly they will become a part of the B4X product itself.
@Erel and Anywhere Software are very aware of the community wishes and desires, and even provide new features that where not "wished". That is why each B4X pruduct sub-forum has its own wishes sub-forum.

 

[amaxco]

@amaxco, Any member can, has many have done, create libs and/or tools for any of the B4X products, and distribute them as he sees fit, free or paid.
I for instance, have created a B4X-Launcher, that allows any of the BAX IDE's to be more easily launched, as well as other extra features, and I provide it Free.
@alwaysbusy has his amazing B4J based framework, and he chose to make it donation ware.
@Informatix has a set of libraries he calls ProBundle, and he prefered to sell them.
All this, to show that, any user, or users can develop tools to help and be support tools for any of B4X product, but very hardly they will become a part of the B4X product itself.
@Erel and Anywhere Software are very aware of the community wishes and desires, and even provide new features that where not "wished". That is why each B4X pruduct sub-forum has its own wishes sub-forum.

Since I joined the community and got to know diligent names, including you, and others like@ Klaus, @rwblinn, @Mashiane, @Harris, @DonManfred, @stevel05, @inakigarm, @jMon, @ilan ... to name a few, I never felt the day is so short! I could not resist to watch, read and learn until I go to bed.

I only feel low when a question is left half-answered specially from the member(s) who respond. Another feeling is when a library or a wrapper is offered as a one-to-one solution while ir could be, somehow, transformed into a B4X feature. I wish the additional library folder will yield into the B4X core library folder.

I, like many members, am indebted to the any assistance that experts like you are offering willingly and, in most cases, freely and I hope to follow suit and be one day like you.

 

[Cableguy]

Don't let the "expert" title fool you... I'm only expert at asking noob questions!
Still, I'm flattered, thank you

 

[amaxco]

Don't let the "expert" title fool you... I'm only expert at asking noob questions!
Still, I'm flattered, thank you

You are expert! Is not dragging experts in is an act of an expert?!
Cheers

 

[miker2069]

Hi Erel, to add to the discussion - I believe you're on the right track of promoting B4J in the IoT space as you indicate on the home page of the web-site. I prefer B4J over Microsoft and Windows Store App dev on a RPI3. However I will be honest, my first thought was, "what's the point of B4J" - there are tons of desktop app dev tools out there for windows/mac. Branding it as a desktop tool delayed me my initial trial/test of it. Once I saw you could use B4J programs on RPI3 and linux machines, and began to see the "value" in it.

For example, I originally was looking at building projects using MS Windows IoT and Windows Store App dev, but it is MUCH more involved/cumbersome than creating a B4J app. IMO B4J is the best tool for the RPI3 platform. Particularly creating web apps easily. Creating more Youtube videos showing practical uses of B4J to solve IoT projects would drive adoption. In fact, a "bake off" type video (how quickly can you create an app to solve problem X using Windows IoT or B4J and stock Raspbian. I've yet to go abck to do anything with Windows IoT - I just don't see the point (now).

Another example, is the Blynk product/tool. If you think of what the Blynk tool does, it solves a real problem of quick deployment of mobile apps for IoT projects. Btw I mentioned Blynk not as a competitor (they're not) but as an example of how to reach a target audience. Blynk in and of itself isn't compelling, but people use Blynk because they don't have any app dev skills to build a native app but use it to quickly prototype an app using drag and drop and deploy it. There's then a natural consideration of the B4A and B4i tools to support feature rich mobile applications.

May be a contest or something from the B4X community to create quality youtube video tutorials which show off B4J and other B4x tools to solve real problems. I have about 3 projects that I plan on doing Youtube tutorials using B4R and B4J as great tools in the IoT space.

 

[aeric]

Personally, I know it: my super mega fantastic wonderful... "app" will be developed with B4J (web server) + B4A.

Mario, where is your super mega fantastic wonderful... "app" ?

 

[LucaMs]

Mario, where is your super mega fantastic wonderful... "app" ?

Its code name is: Penny.
Penelope, you know.

Just today I was thinking of a different design (not of the app but of the server, websockets management) and... now I have the doubt: is the old idea better or this new one?

 

[aeric]

is the old idea better or

What is the old idea? I don't see a new Penelope movie and I never watched the 2006 one.

p/s. There is also a 1966 movie.

 

[LucaMs]

I don't see a new Penelope movie and I never watched the 2006 one.

I didn't even know there was a film called "Penelope"; the reference is to the Odyssey, of course (Penelope weaving by day, by night she undoes everything).

What is the old idea?

Next post... maybe.


P.S. No, we are OT!

 

[aeric]

Next post... maybe

If you happen to start the project, might as well consider using my Web API template. (taking opportunity to do promoting ? )
I am one of those who are aware the powerful use of B4J to create backends.

As "someone" said before (I don't want quote him, I scare it will trigger something...)

BTW, I guess that most developers are not aware of this but it is relatively simple to implement back-ends with B4J. With the jServer library (based on Jetty open source project) you can easily create high performance and stable back-ends.
B4i builders is a good example for this. They run for months without a single memory leak.
jSQL library allows you to connect to any database available. Either local or remote (if it supports it).

 

[LucaMs]

If you happen to start the project, might as well consider using my Web API template. (taking opportunity to do promoting ? )
I am one of those who are aware the powerful use of B4J to create backends.

The B4J websocket server has been ready... for years; but, like the app, I rewrote it dozens of times.

I saw that thread of yours but I didn't understand anything ? (also because I didn't have the patience to read it well).
The doubt (not a problem, a choice to make) that came to my mind today... I will explain it to you in another thread or privately. Here we are polluting the thread.

 

[endbyte]

I am nobody but I can think that: in a computer programming world of enormous variety, the appropriate tool is the one that does everything and is compatible with everything, I like the example of compatibility that Microsoft Windows is giving and specifically the Microsoft Edge browser : the latter does what everyone else does, accepts what everyone else accepts, and does it quickly, intuitively, safely and quickly, I didn't think twice about staying with it after years of jealously using mozilla firefox, At this stage of computing, no development environment, no software should be closed and exclusive, you have to fully open accept everything, give everything, each software should be compatible with everything and the only characteristic that identifies it should be nothing more than the way it is used. that he does it and that way he alone would promote himself and expand quickly and easily, for me the key is the way he does anything, there is a Christian phrase that says e: BY HIS WORKS YOU WILL KNOW HIM, that's my point of view.