API 2.0 and DesktopControls are different and there’s a ton of gotchyas, the CEO marketed it as giving Xojo customers the opportunity to learn something new and exciting.
My point of view has been that if I’m going to HAVE to learn something new and exciting, then it should be worth my time, i.e. provide tangible benefits. While Xojo’s CEO claims learning API 2.0 has many benefits, every single time I asked for more information, he went radio silent on me.
After many months and a rather upsetting conversation with the CEO, I took the leap and started learning Swift and SwiftUI, Swift really isn’t that difficult (except some low level APIs) and migrated one of my Xojo apps within a week. Albeit I then decided to really try to learn the language, rather than Googling Copy/Paste.
In return, I got these benefits:
- My apps are now 1/8th of size (probably even smaller now that Xojo’s framework double in size recently).
- Proper concurrency.
- Support for Efficiency cores on Apple’s M series chips, my app can complete it’s work quicker than my Xojo app and by using the E core, it doesn’t use as much eneregy to do so).
- Actual Native controls, no more Xojo listbox looking like something from the 90s.
- There are some really nice low code features of Swift, I listed some examples here Low Code examples from other languages
- App templates, easily save a day or afternoon’s work just trying to build the basic functionality that every Mac app should have.
- Built-in animation, no more faffing around trying to get animation smooth without taxing the CPU.
- One UI design, will auto adapt from looking like a Mac app to being an iPad, iPhone, Android, Watch, TV & Vision Pro app.
- More resources, there’s far more training material for Swift than Xojo, and there’s far more people using Swift than Xojo, I even get Swift & SwiftUI tips in my e-mail, I can talk to people about developing in it on every single social media platform. There’s far more code available.
- As if the above weren’t already a good enough reasons, Xcode is free, so I’m actually increasing my profitability
ha ha… By doing a Tim Cook and cutting costs.
I understand that not everyone wants to develop for Apple platforms exclusively, but there are plenty of other tools out that can do the same thing for other platforms. Most of the big brands are x-plat, Windows, Mac, Android, iOS.
I made a list of Declarative UI tools here Declarative UI is the future.
Not everyone likes Declarative UI, so hopefully someone else can chime in with their favorite tools are.