This is the fifth and final part of a multi-part review series on the Xojo programming language, environment, framework, add-ons, community, and more.
The first part can be found here: http://www.dev.1701software.com/blog/xojo-in-2017-part1
The second part can be found here: http://www.dev.1701software.com/blog/xojo-in-2017-part2
The third part can be found here: http://www.dev.1701software.com/blog/xojo-in-2017-part3
The fourth part can be found here: http://www.dev.1701software.com/blog/xojo-in-2017-part4
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Xojo is a significant product. Targeting Windows, macOS, various Linux distributions, iOS, and Raspberry Pi from one language is an undertaking. Xojo also sells a web product compatible with modern Internet browsers.
The goal here is to allow you to focus on your application versus the wide variety of platform differences. In my experience Xojo is one of the best options when considering a cross platform solution.
However, there are disadvantages to Xojo and you should know when not to use it:
- When maximum performance is required. Xojo console applications can be quite fast but desktop applications do suffer from a large framework. Application safety features can be disabled and compiler optimizations toggled to speed it up but you are certainly never going to beat bare metal.
- When maximum concurrency is required. Xojo applications can only use one CPU core at a time. There are numerous reasons for this and it is not likely to change. I demonstrate in earlier parts why the story around accessory applications to utilize more cores needs serious revisiting.
- When you are using platform specific features. Xojo’s promised “interop” capabilities should deliver better availability of platform specific features. However even then out of the box Xojo has few platform specific features. The ones they do have tend to be bare bones and not widely updated or enhanced. Xojo delivers a lowest common denominator approach. You can overcome this with extensive work.
- When you are deploying to a single platform. The lack of platform specific features makes this a sub-optimal approach. Programmers tend to be optimistic and believe that deploying to a new platform is “coming soon” so you should prepare now. If you know that you will be on a single platform for 12+ months you should focus on using the tools for that platform.
There are some great advantages to Xojo and here are some cases where you should use it:
- When you are building a line of business application. These days company staffers are using all kinds of devices. You do not want to prevent someone from working because a company utility does not run on their platform.
- When you need to build a quick and dirty prototype. Xojo is really fantastic at building working mockups that evolve easily with your ideas. Mockups and design concepts are helpful but a functional prototype helps users conceptualize their needs and delivers better results.
- When you do not have time to rewrite your prototype in a “real language”. Xojo provides full object-oriented capabilities such as classes and interfaces to allow you to build complex software. There is nothing stopping you from turning your prototype in a high-quality application.
- When you are concerned about your software documentation and architecture. Xojo with its IDE keeps every project organized in very similar ways. Excellent built in search and navigation of the code hierarchy allows for great code discovery. Its basic syntax is easily read and understand. Xojo programs are not difficult to share with others.
- When you want to share code between target platforms. Xojo through the use of modules and platform conditionals makes it very easy to share the same platform-independent logic across all targets. It is really great to write some REST API code or PDF code and have it work on all targets with little to no additional effort.
- When you want a central location for documentation, community and support. Xojo’s commercial nature is a strength for many customers. They prefer the official documentation and support channels that Xojo provides. While I advocate for the open sourcing of a subset of Xojo’s functionality I do believe in Xojo as a commercial entity and product.
- When time is of the essence. I do not think there is a faster or easier way to compile a working desktop application for this many targets anywhere. It may certainly be doable by Java and others but it is nowhere near as efficient or fun.
I personally enjoy using Xojo for every project where appropriate but it is not always the best tool for the job. I hope this series has given you some indications as to where I think Xojo is, where it could go, and why you should consider it.
If you were discouraged about Xojo I hope this series demonstrated that a lot of people rely on it daily and it is a good product. If you are encouraged about Xojo and concerned there may be lurking problems well I hope I have presented the most challenging ones to overcome. If the tradeoffs sound agreeable to you then you should consider it for your next project.
I will continue writing here my experiences and feelings about Xojo. This however is the end of my 2017 review series. I have some big open source and commercial add-ons being released soon so I want to focus on writing great documentation and example projects for them.
Once we get into 2018 it will be XDC time and I am very excited to meet more of the this community in Denver. Thanks for tuning in and don’t forget to sign up for our mailing list.
Thanks for reading.
Phillip Zedalis