Programming for Windows

Posted:
in Mac Software edited January 2014
Ok All,

I am new here so go easy on me. I am a VB/ASP/Access programmer and have been in love with the macs for years. My wife has an Imac G5 and I desperately want a PB 17". Well Mac and VB/ASP/Access don't play well together. Is there any way I can have my cake and eat it too? Virtual PC is just way to slow to develop on. I am not real fond (probably not real educated) of filemaker and not many people that I know (clients) have it on there computers. So my goal is to write it on the mac and compile it for the pc. I have read about Realbasic but I have not seen where it has been used in business apps. Please help.



Thanks in Advance

Future Mac Owner

Thom

KC Mo.

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 11
    mr. memr. me Posts: 3,221member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by no1biscuit

    Ok All,

    I am new here so go easy on me. I am a VB/ASP/Access programmer and have been in love with the macs for years. My wife has an Imac G5 and I desperately want a PB 17". Well Mac and VB/ASP/Access don't play well together. Is there any way I can have my cake and eat it too? Virtual PC is just way to slow to develop on. I am not real fond (probably not real educated) of filemaker and not many people that I know (clients) have it on there computers. So my goal is to write it on the mac and compile it for the pc. I have read about Realbasic but I have not seen where it has been used in business apps. Please help.



    Thanks in Advance

    Future Mac Owner

    Thom

    KC Mo.




    If you insist on using Access, you will have to stick with Windows. Acccess is Windows-only. However, you can use REALBasic to develop VB-compatible and Java apps on the Mac. Suffice it to say you can deploy your VB apps on Windows and your Java apps anywhere.
  • Reply 2 of 11
    no1biscuitno1biscuit Posts: 12member
    I am not stuck on Access at all. It just makes a good backend that the user has to do nothing for it to work. Where if I use MySQL and/or SQL Server then there is installations that the customer must do. Sure doesn't sound hopeful for me to be able to get a mac.



    O.T.

    So What do Mac Programmers use to do all of there programming in?
  • Reply 3 of 11
    kickahakickaha Posts: 8,760member
    Generally, Xcode from Apple. Free, too.



    As far as editors go, BBEdit and SubEthaEdit are both popular choices. (And of course if you want to kick it old school, there's Xemacs in the X11 environment, also included.)



    I don't know what your normal userbase size is, but I do know that the Mac has a weak spot in databases for small businesses. Filemaker is literally about the only choice... which is really odd, considering that every Mac ships with MySQL *AND* SQLite now. You may find that taking your DB skills and applying them to the Mac might be a good move for you, as you'd be a forerunner in a new market that is looking for soultions. :] Just a thought.
  • Reply 4 of 11
    rraburrabu Posts: 264member
    One option I've been exploring is to use PostGreSQL for a DB backend with RealBasic application on it. This should be easily deployable to Windows. However, I haven't actually done any of this yet.



    RealBasic has several different DB plugins so you may choose whichever DB you want for a backend. If you don't have to worry about multiple users using the DB at once (each install of the app has its own DB on the local machine), then RealBasic also has its own built in DB. Once again, other developers elsewhere could tell you more. This is just something I've been looking into; not actually done yet.
  • Reply 5 of 11
    mr. memr. me Posts: 3,221member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by Kickaha

    Generally, Xcode from Apple. Free, too.



    As far as editors go, BBEdit and SubEthaEdit are both popular choices. (And of course if you want to kick it old school, there's Xemacs in the X11 environment, also included.)




    Why not an Aqua version of Emacs?

    Quote:

    Originally posted by Kickaha

    I don't know what your normal userbase size is, but I do know that the Mac has a weak spot in databases for small businesses. Filemaker is literally about the only choice... which is really odd, considering that every Mac ships with MySQL *AND* SQLite now. You may find that taking your DB skills and applying them to the Mac might be a good move for you, as you'd be a forerunner in a new market that is looking for soultions. :] Just a thought.



    The people who make 4th Dimension might disagree.
  • Reply 6 of 11
    whiterabbitwhiterabbit Posts: 208member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by Mr. Me

    Why not an Aqua version of Emacs?





    No. Emacs is not cool.
  • Reply 7 of 11
    akacakac Posts: 512member
    I am a windows dev - as well as a Machead.



    For the level of work that you want - use RealBasic. Its very much like VB, yet it also has the ability to use SQLLite as a backend db which means no you can make it so that your app has SQLLite embedded in it.
  • Reply 8 of 11
    no1biscuitno1biscuit Posts: 12member
    So Akac is that what you do? I will look up SQLLite.



    Thanks for all of your input. I appreciate it tremendously..





    Quote:

    Originally posted by Akac

    I am a windows dev - as well as a Machead.



    For the level of work that you want - use RealBasic. Its very much like VB, yet it also has the ability to use SQLLite as a backend db which means no you can make it so that your app has SQLLite embedded in it.




  • Reply 9 of 11
    akacakac Posts: 512member
    My work can't be done on a Mac, well if I did .NET CF it could. I develop for Windows Mobile. (http://www.PocketInformant.com/ to see). But I have quite a bit of experience with IT and plain jane business apps on the desktop. RealBasic works very well for this, even though its not got the clout of Visual Basic. RB has a bit of a mixed name in the Mac world because many devs bought RB and built ugly, unusable apps with it and proclaimed their goodness. But RB has a lot going for it. Its not a pancea, but for what you're looking for, I think it would do very well. Its got the added bonus that in the future, any other VB dev (not VB.NET) could potentially port the app to real VB or even keep using RB.
  • Reply 10 of 11
    dfilerdfiler Posts: 3,420member
    I feel your pain.



    At work I'm stuck behind an XP box all day. Thankfully, i'm only using it as a front end to our terminal applications server which runs linux.



    As much as I love the mac platform, I'll have to go against the grain here and recommend that you stick to developing windows software on a PC. While there are ways to work around cross-platform development issues, these work-arounds tend to be "neat" rather than optimal or productive.



    I recommend two computers, a PC for your current Access based dev work, and a Mac for everything else.
  • Reply 11 of 11
    no1biscuitno1biscuit Posts: 12member
    dfiler, Thanks for feeling my pain. I will however not accept defeat. Mac lovers are tired of being held down by THE MAN. So with all you brainiacs I will be a happy mac/windows programmer in no time.



    Right?!?!?!?
Sign In or Register to comment.