What are the differences between creating graphical programs in Java and C#?

[Evgeny.Makarov]

A https://driven2services.com/staging/mh/index.php?threads/18929/ about Java prompted me to ask about graphics in Java and C#, especially from the standpoint of teaching. I know how to create graphical applications in Java using Swing, but I know very little about C#.

Swing applications have a pretty steep learning curve. For example, here is basically the smallest program, written in a recommended, scalable way.

import java.awt.*;
import javax.swing.*;

public class MinExample extends JPanel {

   public MinExample() {
     setBackground(Color.WHITE);
     setPreferredSize(new Dimension(500, 300));
   }

   public static void main(String[] args) {
      SwingUtilities.invokeLater(new Runnable() {
         public void run() {
	   JFrame frame = new JFrame("Minimal Example");
           frame.setDefaultCloseOperation(JFrame.EXIT_ON_CLOSE);
           frame.add(new MinExample());
           frame.pack();
           frame.setVisible(true);
         }
      });
   }
}

To fully understand this code, one must know something about:

• the libraries (AWT vs Swing),
• object oriented programming, including inheritance, interfaces ([m]Runnable[/m]) and inner classes,
• layout managers ([m]setPreferredSize[/m]),
• multithreading and thread safety ([m]invokeLater[/m]).

Concerning the last point, Cay Horstmann, the author of the Core Java book, https://community.oracle.com/blogs/cayhorstmann/2007/06/11/single-thread-rule-swing on a forum whether the invocation of GUI above has to have this ugly shape. In the beginning, starting GUI was allowed on the main thread (simply inside the main() method), but around Java 1.5 it was decided that all components had to be accessed only from the event dispatch thread. Horstmann was concerned that this construction "won't win the hearts and minds of [his] students".

I am wondering how this compares to creating graphical programs in C# in the context of a computer graphics course. Specifically, I have these questions.

• Java is simpler than C++. (It does not have destructors, multiple inheritance and class friends, all non-static methods are virtual, etc.) How does C# compare with C++ and Java?
• How much does one need to know to fully understand simple graphical programs?
• Which is more complicated: Java Swing or C# graphics library?
• Are there free IDEs for writing in C#?
• Can one write graphical applications in C# in Linux? I am asking about a reliable, well-known way and not some experimental implementation.

Thanks in advance.

 

[I like Serena]

I am wondering how this compares to creating graphical programs in C# in the context of a computer graphics course. Specifically, I have these questions.

• Java is simpler than C++. (It does not have destructors, multiple inheritance and class friends, all non-static methods are virtual, etc.) How does C# compare with C++ and Java?
• How much does one need to know to fully understand simple graphical programs?
• Which is more complicated: Java Swing or C# graphics library?
• Are there free IDEs for writing in C#?
• Can one write graphical applications in C# in Linux? I am asking about a reliable, well-known way and not some experimental implementation.

Thanks in advance.

Hi Evgeny,

Here's my 2 cents.

C# classes are pretty much the same as java.
The one real difference I noticed is that C# does not have const methods or parameters.
Btw, the real power from C# does not come from the language itself, but from the extensive .NET framework that it grants access to.

We don't really have to understand GUI code at all.
All the IDE's generate the code for you.
Then it's just dragging and dropping controls and filling in some pre-generated code for clicking a button.
Knowledge how it really works is mostly needed to tweak it beyond what is available off the shelf.
The key is how easy it is to use the IDE to achieve what we want.
Oh, and they have their classes of course to specify the properties of buttons and the other various controls.
Those classes are pretty similar.
As for the IDE user experience, I consider Microsoft to be the best.

I consider the Java and C# GUI libraries to be pretty much the same.
There's a framework to set things up, and then you have to create controls and add them to the form, complete with on-click methods and such.

Microsoft provides a free edition of Visual Studio with C#.NET (for Windows obviously).
If I'm not mistaken, we have to pay for a version that includes for instance C++.

The language C# actually works in Linux.
The problem is that the .NET framework that contains all real library functions is not readily available.
There is a generally recognized port called "Mono", but that is really a poor man's .NET framework.
Porting an extensive existing C#.NET application on Windows to Linux with Mono is pretty much impossible.
I believe it does allow you to create a GUI.
Obviously Visual Studio is not available in Linux.

 

[alyafey22]

Java is simpler than C++. (It does not have destructors, multiple inheritance and class friends, all non-static methods are virtual, etc.) How does C# compare with C++ and Java?

C# is very similar to Java, actually sometimes you cannot tell the difference between the two languages. They are very similar in syntax.

Which is more complicated: Java Swing or C# graphics library?

For me C# is much simpler in terms of GUI and it is one of the main reasons I prefer C#. It offers what we call WPF (windows programming forms). The idea is completely separating the GUI design from the code behind. The most interesting for me was the ability of creating Shapes (rectangles, circles, etc) and treat them as objects. Hence you can attach listeners to them, know there positions and animate them.

Are there free IDEs for writing in C#?

It thought Microsoft offered Visual studio for free for developers. See the link

Can one write graphical applications in C# in Linux? I am asking about a reliable, well-known way and not some experimental implementation.

I don't think so but not sure.

 

[I like Serena]

One more platform to consider is Qt ("cute").

It's based on C++ and it has been my preferred UI development platform for the last 10 years (since C++ is my language of choice).
Its classes and UI designer are intuitive and they have numerous extensions to the C++ language "that you really want".
It is portable to all platforms and supports for instance both Visual Studio and the Gnu compiler.
... and it's free.

One of their interesting innovations is the concept of signals and slots.
It allows for complete separation of UI code and model code.

Btw, I didn't bring it up before since you specifically asked for C# and java.