desktop-application

How do you transition from desktop application development to web development and back again?

I've worked on several desktop application projects, however whenever I'm faced with a web application project, I don't know where to begin. I have a grasp of the technologies I need to build an app - Rails, PHP, HTML, JavaScript, CSS, various SQL databases - but when it comes to actually building the app, it feels like I'm always stuck....

Why don't people use PHP for desktop applications?

Other scripting languages popular on the web, such as Python and Ruby, are used in desktop applications. However, I've rarely (if ever) seen a PHP application designed to be deployed on a desktop. Why is this? What about PHP is holding it back from this, or what about these other languages make them popular for the dual use? ...

Are off-the-cloud desktop applications dead?

Although somewhat related to this question, I have what I think is a different take on it. Is a desktop app that has no connections to the "cloud" dead? I believe that some things are going to continue to be on the machine (operating systems obviously, browsers, some light-weight applications), but more and more things are moving to net...

Options for distribution of an offline Ruby on Rails application

I am developing an application in using Ruby on Rails, mostly as an excuse to learn the language. This is not intended to be a web-based application - and perhaps I have chosen the wrong language, but... My understanding is, that in order to run an instance of this application on somebody else's computer, they would need to install rub...

Web in a desktop application: Good web browser controls?

I've been utlising a "web browser control" in desktop based applications (in my case Windows Forms .NET) for a number of years. I mostly use it to create a familiar flow-based user interface that also allows a seamless transition to the internet where required. I'm really tired of the IE browser control because of the poor quality html...

What is the best multi-platform RAD language?

What is the best multi-platform RAD language for writing a desktop application? Nice GUI capability would be a bonus. Question Update: Now after 2 years from asking this question, can Adobe AIR a be a a contender or is it too limited? Answers so far: Python with PyQT Java Mono with Glade Ruby with Shoes Lua REALBasic Rebol Lazarus ...

Project in Ruby

I've been coding alot of web-stuff all my life, rails lately. And i can always find a website to code, but i'm kind of bored with it. Been taking alot of courses of Java and C lately so i've become a bit interested in desktop application programming. Problem: I can't for the life of me think of a thing to code for desktop. I just can't ...

What is your session management strategy for NHibernate in desktop applications?

I find it much more difficult to manage your session in a desktop application, because you cannot take advantage of such a clear bondary like HttpContext. So how do you manage your session lifetime to take advantage of lazy loading but without having one session open for the entire application? ...

What's a good API for recording/capturing and playing back sound in Delphi and/or C#?

<flavor> I want to create a spelling test program for my grade schoolers that would let them enter and record their spelling words then test them on them through out the week.</flavor> What's a good Delphi API with which I could select a recording device, capture and save sound files, then play them back? I'm also toying with doing the...

High-level languages for out-of-the-box GUI desktop application programming

After I discontinued programming in C++ while entering into web authoring I was spoilt by PHP's high level constructs like hash tables or its dynamic, weak typing. I remembered the angst of C/C++ pointers and the maze of low-level Win32 API handles and message loops and that prevented me from utilizing environments like Code::Blocks for ...

In what ways can you get your freeware project some exposure?

In what way can you get your freeware project some exposure? I'm more interested in answers involving downloadable desktop software. ...

What makes an application an "enterprise" or "enterprise-level" application?

Is it just a buzzword that means nothing or is there a definition of what makes an application (desktop or web) an enterprise application? ...

How do you decide if a project should be web-based or desktop-based?

I'm having trouble deciding if I want a project of mine to be web-based (as in a web-app), desktop-based (a desktop application), or a desktop application that can sync or connect to the cloud. I don't know if anyone else would have an interest in this application, and it's only going to be for me, so I'm leaning toward desktop applicat...

Good language & framework for cross platform (windows & mac) desktop application.

The last cross platform desktop development I did was Java/Swing. What about flex? ...

How do you maintain your multi-language application?

How do you keep the spoken languages strings in your program up to date? Is there an inexpensive way? Where can you find people to do the conversions over time? ...

How do you control what monitor your application opens on?

As a two-monitor user at work, I've noticed that applications behave differently with regards to what monitor they open on (primary or secondary monitor, the last monitor the application opened on, and so on). To be honest, some applications annoy me because I want them to open on my primary monitor and I'll move them to my secondary if ...

MS Access Front-End Alternative?

Background I work for a large organization which has thousands of MS Access applications floating around. I didn't write any of these - in fact, most of the original authors have long since left the company - but from time to time another Access app lands on my desk for support. I would soooo love to replace access with a different so...

What's the neatest way to stop a Winforms window being moved around

We have a WinForms application which runs on a touch-screen on a bit of industrial equipment. For historical reasons which are not up for changing today, the displayed form has a normal Windows title bar. We would like to stop people using the mouse (i.e. touchscreen) from moving the window by dragging the title bar. We don't care i...

WinForms: Proper way to change number of rows in a TableLayoutPanel

i'm trying to change the number of rows in a TableLayoutPanel programatically (sometimes it needs to be four, sometimes five, and rarely six). Unfortunatly changing the number of rows does not keep the RowStyles collection in sync, so you are then not able to set the height of the newly added rows. The following test code demonstrates t...

How can I prevent my desktop application from breaking horribly when the user messes with its files at run-time?

Such as deleting the output file during run, directing two instances of the sw to the same IO etc ? ...