Destop app: C# or Java (swing)

[aShape]

Hi Guys

I am planning on working on a desktop application which will be used to connect to DB servers (mysql, oracle etc), execute queries, would like it cross platform and so on. I have the choice between C# or Swing. I haven't used any of these for desktop apps before but I would like insight from more experienced programmers so that I can make a more informed choice.

[Shuja Ali]

I have been using .NET for years now, so I would be comfortable writing this in C#. However, some one else would have some other opinion. But the rule of the thumb is that if you are comfortable with a programming language then use that. Say if you have developed applications using C# earlier then use C# rather than learning something else and then working on it.

[PeejAvery]

Cross-platform as in various Windows operating systems? Or are you referring to Windows, Mac OS X, and Linux? If you are referring to the second, then C# will get you no where. Mac OS and Linux have had Java capabilities for years, but not access to the .NET framework.

[aShape]

I meant cross platform as linux, mac, windows etc - I think I will use Java in that case. However, I would prefer the UI to take the look & feel of its native OS and Java uses lightweight components.

Just out of curiousity, if we take firefox for example, do they build seperate browsers for each individual OS ?

[PeejAvery]

Just out of curiosity, if we take Firefox for example, do they build separate browsers for each individual OS ?

That all depends on the company or individual doing the programming. In Mozilla's case, Firefox is written in C for Windows. Since native Cocoa for Mac uses Objective-C, a derivative of C, I'm sure that this was a re-write of several portions of code.

[jefranki]

I meant cross platform as linux, mac, windows etc - I think I will use Java in that case. However, I would prefer the UI to take the look & feel of its native OS and Java uses lightweight components.

Just out of curiousity, if we take firefox for example, do they build seperate browsers for each individual OS ?

In the case of something like a web browser, you will have some common components that operate the same at the C++ level regardless of OS Platform, things like text-parsing (html, javascript, etc.). These will be shared source code files.

There will also be some shared concepts between platforms (say, drawing a rectangle), that will differ in function name/header and source library. One might look like void DrawRect(Point vertex, int length, int height) and another might look like int drawRectangle(Vertex corner1, Vertex corner 2). (These are arbitrary examples I made up off the top of my head.)

In this case, you would make your own function header to bridge the difference, with a different implementation for each platform. You'd possibly place each implementation version in a different source file.

Beyond that, there will be a separate makefile / IDE project for each platform, with both different and shared source files and libraries included for each different platform.