[Year 12 SofDev] Pondering SD U3O2

[David Dawson]

That is an interesting POV, Gordon, because I actually have the opposite
view.
I think we need to get away from the old "thick" clients like Applets.
(just my view)
IMHO for an application to be truly useful for a "portable device" it
should link to a server somehow and be available to run on many of the
devices simultaneously - however I do not think we should be doing DB
work in unit 3 either.
I think that there is nothing in the formal definition of GUI that
cannot be run inside a browser, so why do you think that a browser
interface is not a GUI when we use form widgets and graphics? 
David D

-----Original Message-----
From: sofdev-bounces at edulists.com.au
[mailto:sofdev-bounces at edulists.com.au] On Behalf Of
gordonp at horsham-college.vic.edu.au
Sent: Wednesday, 14 February 2007 10:38 AM
To: sofdev at edulists.com.au
Subject: Re: [Year 12 SofDev] Pondering SD U3O2

Thanks for that Robert - well put. The language used is not that
relevant except where it satisifies the criteria for the 'approved
languages list'.
 And we all bring a certain amount of baggage to language decisions
surely. While PHP is fresh for jaded teachers and elegant, i don't think
it really meets the first criteria 'developing a GUI' as well as C++ or
Java, VB etc. I'm not convinced the good old browser interface is in the
spirit here ...

The kids just have to model a module for a handheld (or laptop!!). I'll
be re-writing my old Maths Quiz (+,-,*,/ questions) program, with
interface specs to simulate a handheld. VB will probably be the language
of choice because it will do the job well. 

But for my own interest, it'll be PHP for unit 2...
cheers             gordon

"Timmer-Arends" <timmer at melbpc.org.au> on Tue, 13 Feb 2007 18:14:38
+1100 wrote:
> Hello Mark
> 
> I think Adrain and Claudia have the right interpretation. The 
> constraint of producing a software module suitable for implementation 
> on a portable computing device is intended as a constraint on the user

> interface (and perhaps other bits as listed by Claudia and Adrian) NOT

> on the type of program to be written or on the programming language 
> used. And it is this latter point that I think Adrian is trying to 
> make when he writes "The program does not have to be implemented - 
> just modeled."  - students might be required to write a game program
that can be used on, say, a Palm Pilot.
> Instead of trying to come to grips with something like C as well as 
> adapting it to PalmOS, they might write the program using VB; it 
> would/should have the 'look and feel' of the Palm version but under 
> the covers its just plain old VB - hence it is a 'model'.
> 
> Possibly a little dated,
> http://goanna.cs.rmit.edu.au/~winikoff/palm/dev.html contains a list 
> of PalmPilot SDKs (Software Development Kits) and some discussion 
> which could be of interest.
> 
> Regards
> Robert T-A
> Brighton SC
> 
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---
Gordon Poultney
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