JavaME, Java2D and Filthy Rich Clients

For the last few years I have played around with some JME apps.

So far this has consisted of:
1) Think up an idea
2) Download Netbeans
3) Create an application with the basic drag and drop elements which are provided
4) Almost finish it
5) Spend ages thinking up new and elaborate ways to sell it

Well that has all changed, well at least step 3 and 4 have changed, and its all thanks to the Filthy Rich Clients.

These doesn't mean that I have found a group of people willing to pay me Mad Cash to build something for them, I am talking of the book on GUI design (http://filthyrichclients.org/).

Basically, this renewed my interest in building 'cool looking', easy to use apps, via what turns out to be, simple graphics features of J2D.

Those who have seen the pre-pre-alpha version of my latest app will agree that the decision to not use any of the provided components and go it alone with a custom gui is already paying off on the 'cool looking' front.

Those same people will be happy to know that the 'menu system' which was implemented in 20 minutes before work this morning works really well, is super smooth and again meets the standards for 'cool looking' which have now become the theme.

Now it is really down to the trade off of "development time V hours before this weekend" (the self imposed target date for completion), but based on the time to implement so far, I would like to think that it is at least as fast as fumbling through someone else's api and trying to get it to do what I want.

The result is two thumbs up to J2d and the same for the boys down at Filthy Rich Clients HQ (aka Chet Haase and Romain Guy) for renewing my interest in all things 'cool looking' and inspiring me to do something nice for the users.