[damosan]

Any developers here with any real experience using RealBasic? How good is the platform?

I ask because I'm a long time VB (and now VB.Net) developer and, at least on the surface, it appears that the paradigm is the same-- or at least very close.

A $99 license for the basic version isn't all that bad either.

Damo

[loki74]

I have REALBasic, its pretty good. I think the organization method in .NET and VB6 is better, and RB has a few of its own quirks, but you'll get used to them.

If you want to make Mac-only apps, I say learn C++ and use Xcode. You'll have greater flexibility and definitely more resources (ADC anyone?). RB is excellent if you want to make an app on Mac, and then two seconds later compile it on PC. Slick.

[Brass]

Originally Posted by loki74

If you want to make Mac-only apps, I say learn C++ and use Xcode. You'll have greater flexibility and definitely more resources (ADC anyone?). RB is excellent if you want to make an app on Mac, and then two seconds later compile it on PC. Slick.

errr... if you wanted to make Mac-only apps, why would you want to use the overly complex OO implementation of C++, when Objective-C is not only far simpler to learn and use, but also is required for the preferred Mac-only API set, "Cocoa"?

back on topic... sorry, I can't comment on RealBASIC, but it sounds good from what I've heard.

[TampaDeveloper]

I've played around with RealBasic. I think its pretty slick. This isn't a comprehensive list. These are just some of my observations;

Plus:

- You will be up and running overnight with your VB and VB.Net experience
- Very nice interface builder. Better than VB if you ask me.
- Cross platform code - worked well in my limited experience
- Built in documentation is fairly decent - examples can be drag and dropped into editor
- Code is fairly straight forward
- Creates real EXE files
- FUN

Minus:

- Property sheets do not list all properties of a visual component, so you're stuck tuning some properties by hand (once you figure out that they are available).
- Debugger is very limiting and it (the debugger) also tends to crash alot. This makes the debugging process much slower than it should be, and in some cases impossible.
- Source lives in proprietary world, you can export to XML. Very cheezy.
- Help system tends to get bogged down when you pull up a topic with alot of information.
- Built in database is not full SQL complient. Some features missing will leave you scratching your head.
- Source Code/File navigation becomes cumbersome with a medium/large size project
- Not many books available. The best one; RealBasic the Definitive Guide by Matt Neuburg, 2nd edition, is now out of print. Its a little out of date.


If you are interested in making Mac apps, use XCode and Objective-C.

If you are interested in making very nice cross-platform applications for specialized use, corporate in-house development, or personal use, use Java and Eclipse (or one of many other decent IDEs out there for Java).

If you are interested in making commercial quality cross-platform applications, use C++, WxWidgets or Qt, and XCode or preferrably Eclipse+CDT. I have just recently begun developing what I intend to be a commercial application. I experimented with XCode and found it to be less than ideal. For one, the code completion doesn't work for C++ (at least as far as I can tell). I believe XCode was primarily intended for Objective-C, not C++. OTOH, Eclipse+CDT was a breeze to set up and use. It creates make files for your target platform based on your project settings. This makes it easy to quickly move your entire project to Windows, OSX, Linux, or any other platform that supports Java (for the IDE) and gcc compiler.

Hope that helps. Good luck.

[TampaDeveloper]

Just a quick update; It appears as if the next version of Real Basic will not contain one of its biggest limitations.


http://www.mactech.com/news/?p=1007390

[Arkham_c]

I have been a RealBasic user since it was called CrossBasic. It's very cool, and definitely worth checking out. Also, FYI. there is a free 30-day demo to try it out.

[TampaDeveloper]

The convenience of having a built in database for writing these simple little apps really appealed to me (and still does). When I first got RealBasic I decided I was going to write a book and I was all fired up. But to be honest, I got frustrated by the clunky interface and the TERRIBLE debugger. After awhile I realized it would be easier to achieve my goals using C++ and a cross platform GUI toolkit like wxWidgets or Qt. So thats what I'm doing now. I gave up on RealBasic for big applications.. Its great for whipping together little tools. IMO one of the best environments for that sort of thing. But it seems to fall apart when you try to write a big application.