Walker Software Weblog

I’ve got Mac OS 10.4 (Tiger) pre-ordered. I’ve been waiting for this released for a long time now, not for spotlight or automator (although both look cool) but for Java 1.5 (or Java 5 as the inflationists call it). With only a few days of waiting left, I keep finding tools that would help me, but they require Java 1.5. I hope Java 1.6 doesn’t take this long to come to the Mac. I’ve found two different Java Help authoring systems that I’d love to try, but I have to wait for Tiger.

Update April 29

-I’ve got more waiting todo.- I found a pre-release. Tiger doesn’t include Java 1.5, but Java 1.5 won’t be available for Panther.

I’ve posted my tweeks to the “whirled-famous” TableSorter class over here.

The is the normal TableSorter you have seen floating around the net, but I’ve added some small changes. The normal code allowed for doing complex sorts by control-clicking on column header. Java on the Mac doesn’t read control-click, so this version also accepts command-clicks. The arrows to indicate sorts are slightly larger and filled-in with blue in this version.

TableSorter is a class that provides the user with the ability to click on table column headers to sort a JTable.

Download TableSorter.java

I’ve been toying with look and feels for Java a little lately. It is kinda funny that Sun calls Metal the “Cross-Platform” look and feel but it only looks “at home” on Solaris with CDE. But Metal is the default on Windows as well, which means you you either need a to switch to the Windows LAF (but only on Windows, because it won’t run anywhere else — thank heaven for small favors) or package a custom LAF. The Windows LAF is OK for small apps, however is really matches the true windows system about as well as the Aqua LAF does the Mac System. And lets face it, despite a lot of flap about wanting to look like native apps, how many Windows Apps actually look native? Every-time MS released a new version of Office, the look and feel is different and not available to your standard native Windows App. The most popular Windows apps usually don’t have a truly native look and feel, they are either completely different or look like the current version of office. There is not much benefit from looking native on Windows, but you don’t want to look like CDE either.
(Continued)

I’ve almost made enough off one of my games to cover the web-site and listing fees, but not yet enough to cover the time spent on make the game. In the industry, people say %1 of people who download your game will register. My conversion rate is somewhere around 0.5% to 1% (if those download counts on the listing sites are right). People who register never bother to write a review of the game, The only people who do want to complain. I’ll chose to listen to the silent ~1% who voted with there hard earned money and I’ll continue making games and improving the one I have out.

I never really expected more than 10 people to register in the first year. More than ten registered in the first two months. I think I’m doing alright.

Update: April 18

The listing site that requires payment did a review of game, they gave it a 3/5. I wonder if the review would have been better if I’d sprung for the “premium” package. I guess I shouldn’t complain too much, it is the best written review I’ve had yet and I’ve had enough downloads to be listed as “popular” on their website (at time of writing). Incidentally, the second best written review I’ve had is basically “That other guy was wrong, no virus here.”

In the previous post, I said I had more plugins for Eclipse, while this is true it should also be mentioned that NetBeans requires fewer plugins to get the same functionality. Eclipse needs a plugin to edit XML in any useful fashion, a plugin for J2EE work, a plugin for GUI editing (which doesn’t work on the Mac, due to major design flaws in SWT). NetBeans includes those in the core (but the GUI designer works on the Mac). The NetBeans core is a 41Mb download, the Eclipse core is over 80 MB if my memory serves.
(Continued)