Mac OS X for Java Geeks

Chapter 4. GUI Applications

Question: How many lines of code does it take to display a window?

Answer: One, but you’ll spend the rest of your life rewriting it.

OK, so it’s not a particularly funny joke, but it does get to the heart of why so many people originally embraced the Java platform’s promise of “write once, run anywhere.” Here’s a graphical user interface (GUI) development conundrum: each platform has a set of specific guidelines for what is considered the proper look and feel, yet users often want to access an application across multiple platforms. Just look at the variety of development tools described earlier; the installation for many IDEs, such as NetBeans, involves selecting which user interface you’d like to work with.

The long and the short of it is that there is no one right answer for GUI construction. From overt issues, such as the menu structure defaults (where is the placement of the Preferences menu item: the File, Edit, or Application menu?), to subtle ones, such as the default layout for dialog buttons, to paradigm decisions, such as requiring the use of the second mouse button—it’s hard to imagine a single approach to GUI application programming that would satisfy all application development needs.

Instead of focusing on the theoretical debate, it is often more useful to consider two key factors: the intended audience and the available resources. If you know that you will develop a consumer application on a large budget, you may wish to build a multimedia-style ...