Metro apps

Thu Jan 3 05:06:27 PST 2013

Hi Pedro DV.  I've been running JavaFX apps on a Windows 8 (not Windows 
RT) tablet PC, and one of them is a Metro-styled version of Ensemble 
developed by David Qiao of JIDE Software (copied).  See the following 
Devoxx JavaFX Bootstrap university session in which I do my portion of 
the session from the tablet:
http://parleys.com/#st=5&id=3654&sl=0

Windows RT is not currently supported.  I haven't tried to put any 
JavaFX apps in the Windows app store.

With an increasing number of Windows 8 tablets available, and as a 
Windows 8 tablet user, I appreciate your efforts in creating Metro styling.

Thanks,
Jim Weaver

On 1/3/13 7:19 AM, Pedro Duque Vieira wrote:
> Lately my messages have been ignored on this mailing list by the javafx
> team members. Although this is very frustrating I do understand that the
> answers might not be obvious or that time is not your side.
>
> This question is of particular importance to me because I've been creating
> a metro like look and feel for JavaFX called JMetro and without guidance or
> knowledge of what the future may hold I might suspend further development
> till things get more clear.
> Don't take this as a rant but rather as a logical decision given the state
> of things (not knowing the plans of javafx on windows 8/ windows rt).
>
> Thanks, best regards,
>
> On Wed, Jan 2, 2013 at 8:50 PM, Pedro Duque Vieira <
> pedro.duquevieira at gmail.com> wrote:
>
>> Bring back this topic, since it hasn't yet had any response from javafx
>> team.
>>
>> Cheers,
>>
>>
>> On Thu, Dec 27, 2012 at 1:33 AM, Daniel Zwolenski <zonski at gmail.com>wrote:
>>
>>> All good questions that I'd also like to see answered at some point.
>>>
>>> Regarding jfx apps in the windows store, my initial investigation into
>>> this is it should be legally and technically fine (I am no lawyer, blah,
>>> blah, blah) and potentially quite easy.
>>>
>>> Supporting this via the JFX maven plugin (so you'd do a mvn
>>> jfx:build-win-app-store and potentially a similar deploy version that did
>>> the upload for you) is about 4th or 5th on my todo list, which possibly
>>> means around feb. If anyone wants to help on this front it could be sooner
>>> - just shout out.
>>>
>>> Priority #1 for me though is to get the jfx packaging tools building and
>>> deployed into maven central. From that, everything else flows.
>>>
>>>
>>> On 27/12/2012, at 12:05 PM, Pedro Duque Vieira <
>>> pedro.duquevieira at gmail.com> wrote:
>>>
>>>
>>>> To do an app that has a "metro-style" UI could well just be a case of
>>>> skinning things differently and adding some new controls but this would
>>>> really only work on normal Windows (I think Windows 8 will run Java but
>>>> in compatibility mode). To actually run a "metro-style" app on Windows RT
>>>> (MS's new OS for ultra-portable computers) I think requires a port of the
>>>> JDK and JFX to that platform.
>>>
>>> Not just run on Windows RT but also on Windows 8.
>>>
>>> If compatibility mode is the only viable option for now we could still
>>> emulate the metro style on that mode, although I haven't thought whether
>>> that would be of value.
>>>
>>>   There are a bunch of technical challenges with such a port I believe
>>>> (e.g. RT is heavily sand-boxed from the looks of it).
>>> I'm not sure but I think RT only allows for AOT like ios devices. So this
>>> falls under the "run javafx on tablets and mobiles" issue which Oracle
>>> doesn't want to disclose any more info about.
>>>   But we also still have windows 8.
>>>
>>> One other question I have is whether it is possible to sell java apps on
>>> the windows store.
>>>
>>> So, in conclusion:
>>>
>>>     1. Will java apps ever run through the Start screen of windows 8 /
>>>     windows RT (we probably won't get any answer for now on this..)
>>>     2. For now we can run Java on Windows 8 Desktop. Is emulating a metro
>>>     style app, on that mode, a good idea?
>>>        1. If it is a good idea how would we go about doing it? Are there
>>>        any system calls we can make to bring up things like the app toolbar or do
>>>        we hand code that? What about the platforms standard animations and other
>>>        stuff?
>>>     3. Is it now possible to sell javafx apps on the windows store? If
>>>     not, will it be possible on the future?
>>>
>>>
>>> Thanks, Cheers,
>>>
>>> On Thu, Dec 27, 2012 at 12:00 AM, Daniel Zwolenski <zonski at gmail.com>wrote:
>>>
>>>> This was also asked somewhat in that massive 'mobile' thread on the OTN
>>>> forum:
>>>> https://forums.oracle.com/forums/message.jspa?messageID=10708891#10708891
>>>>
>>>> No response but perhaps it got lost in all the noise on that thread.
>>>>
>>>> jsmith gives some good info on the difference between Windows Metro,
>>>> Windows 8 and Windows RT. It's worth getting clear on the terminology since
>>>> it's all very messy thanks to some MS branding issues.
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> It would be great if someone from Oracle could clarify all this, but
>>>> given the xmas break I think things are a little quiet at the moment.
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> On Thu, Dec 27, 2012 at 8:57 AM, Pedro Duque Vieira <
>>>> pedro.duquevieira at gmail.com> wrote:
>>>>
>>>>> I'm asking this (below) because while doing a metro version of javafx
>>>>> controls in my project JMetro, I wonder how things like the app toolbar
>>>>> will be implemented, if the javafx team is already doing it and if not
>>>>> how
>>>>> should I go about doing it..
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> On Tue, Dec 25, 2012 at 9:23 PM, Pedro Duque Vieira <
>>>>> pedro.duquevieira at gmail.com> wrote:
>>>>>
>>>>>> Hi,
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Are you going to support Metro apps? That is, with all that implies:
>>>>>>
>>>>>>     1. Different type of interface
>>>>>>        1. full window
>>>>>>        2. app toolbar
>>>>>>        3. charms toolbar
>>>>>>        4. tile API: show images on start screen inside tile,
>>>>>>        notifications, etc
>>>>>>        5. metro animations
>>>>>>        6. etc
>>>>>>     2. If so (answer to 1 is yes), than how are you going to implement
>>>>>>     that? Will you code javafx versions of things like the app toolbar
>>>>> or are
>>>>>>     you going to rely on system calls to make this stuff show up?
>>>>> (don't know
>>>>>>     if the later option exists or is possible)
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Thanks, best regards,
>>>>>>
>>>>>> --
>>>>>> Pedro Duque Vieira
>>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> --
>>>>> Pedro Duque Vieira
>>>>>
>>>>
>>>
>>> --
>>> Pedro Duque Vieira
>>>
>>>
>>
>> --
>> Pedro Duque Vieira
>>
>
>

-- 
Regards,
Jim Weaver
Java Technology Ambassador
Oracle Corporation
james.weaver at oracle.com