Which Coding Framework for Mac OS X ?

DrStrangeLoop asks: "I am in the progress of getting into coding for Mac OS X, and I am wondering which GUI framework/language i should focus on. Apparantly, there are at least three options: the Cocoa Objective-C API [I don't want to learn Objective-c, but it seems that's how Apple wants me to code], the Cocoa Java API [gets compiled to PPC binaries, lots of APIs available [think Google], but absolutely no decent documentation to be found] and Swing Java classes [look 'n feel of Cocoa, but portable]. However, the most important feature for me is a clean and easy IPC with BSD layer processes. I figure sockets will work with all options, but what about the other mechanisms? Any suggestions?" Update: 10/13 22:08 GMT by C :For those curious about the Cocoa/Carbon debate, you can find an article that discusses this very issue, here. Thanks to the folks over at Freenode's #macdev for providing the link.

Comments

Carbon vs Cocoa

[Anonymous Coward]

Carbon is faster than Cocoa, but Cocoa is easier than Carbon. You should read this tiny article.

Use ZooLib for Mac OS X and other platforms

[MichaelCrawford]

ZooLib is a multithreaded C++ cross-platform application framework. It supports classic Mac OS (even 68k), and Carbon in CFM and has just gotten Mach-o executable format support.

You will want to get the code from CVS because there hasn't been a release in a long time. (Real Soon Now.)

If you code for ZooLib it is almost trivial to port your applications to Windows or the BeOS. ZooLib for Linux works for server applications but the GUI support is not complete (but would not be hard to do).

It also includes TCP networking and two choices of database support with a C++ API (but not SQL).

You can learn a little about ZooLib from my first draft of The ZooLib Cookbook I also wrote an article called Writing Cross-Platform Software - Getting Started.