Eclipse RCP

My work had focused on web application development for so long, I had to pause when I was asked to develop a desktop application. I had little idea where to begin. I started searching for application frameworks that met the following criteria:
  1. I could write the application in Java
  2. The resulting application would be cross platform with a native look and feel.
  3. The framework was mature, easy to use, and widely adopted.
I quickly narrowed the field down to 2 choices Eclipse RCP and NetBeans. Both met the criteria I was looking for. Either would have been a reasonable choice, and I chose Eclipse. First of all, I was comfortable developing in the Eclipse IDE. Second, Eclipse had a larger installed base and an avid community following, with over 1200 commercial plugins available.

I was happy with my choice. Since I had been coding with JSF for some time, the leap to an event based system was not that large. The Forms plugin allowed me to easily create an attractive interface.

More importantly, my clients loved the product. The system was designed to dynamically configure distributed application components. Allowing users to drag and drop these components to create the architecture, made the process easy and intuitive. Real time statistics delivered via web services added to the usefulness of this simple tool.

Discussion

Does the combination of
  1. Rich Internet Application technology
  2. widespread availability of high-speed wireless Internet connections (and mobile devices)
  3. Cheap mult-core processors
spell the end of desktop applications?

I believe so. It's hard to imagine a desktop application anymore that does not need to interface with information on the network. This technology combination will allow new web apps to service more users faster and cheaper - without giving up usability features that, until recently, were only available on the desktop.

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