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Cross-Platform Development in C++

Building Mac OS X, Linux, and Windows Applications

Reviewed by Jonathan Hoyle

Author: Syd Logan

 

http://www.informit.com/store/product.aspx?isbn=9780321246424

Released: November 27, 2007

Pages: 576

$50 USD

ISBN: 032124642X

 

Strengths: A great introduction to cross-platform issues for the C++ programmer, including a one of the bestdetailed examinations of the wxWidgets framework.

 

Weaknesses: Rather limited in its overview of C++ frameworks, focusing almost exclusively on wxWidgets and the author's own framework.

 

 

Introduction

I can't tell you how often I have excitedly picked up a book purporting to be about cross-platform development, only to be sadly disappointed in just the first few pages. It seems that many authors define "cross-platform" to mean Windows and Linux only, with no mention of the Macintosh. That is why I am so delighted to finally be able to recommend to you a book that is both truly cross-platform and truly Macintosh friendly: Cross-Platform Development in C++: Building Mac OS X, Linux, and Windows Applications by Syd Logan.

 

Rather than treat the Mac as a second-class citizen, Logan treats all three operating systems fairly and completely. In fact, Mac OS X is usually listed first in most discussions. What is even more pleasantly surprising is finding the predominance of Mac OS X screen captures through the book! I truly felt at home reading this book.

 

Chapters 1 and 2 (Policy and Management and Build System/Toolchain) deal with the benefits of a platform neutral approach and give solid recommendations on choice of development tools. This section is one you will likely read many times, as project startup efforts require a number of tactical decisions which will have long-term effects down the road. Although many options are placed in front of you, Logan wisely directs you to use Xcode for the Mac, Visual Studio for Windows, and gcc for Linux. There are even details for those wishing to use cross-compiler make files. Chapters 3 and 4 (Software Configuration Management and Installation and Deployment) follow this up with cross-platform bug-tracting, source control and installation sofware options.

 

Chapters 5 and 6 (Operating System Interfaces and Libraries and Miscellaneous Portability Topics, respectively) deal with portability issues for compiling your cross-platform project. Differences between development environments like Visual Studio and Xcode can be subtle and lead to compilation and debugging problems down the line. The author gives great helpful hints on avoiding some of these pitfalls by configuring your environment in a way which is compatible and standards compliant. Logan also gives good advice on a number of tools useful for the purpose.

 

One of my favorites is Chapter 7 entitled User Interfaces. In it, the author describes what is the most important design pattern for any cross-platform projects: the model/view paradigm (which others know as MVC: Model-View-Controller). The model is the core logic of the program (which is usually fairly cross-platform), whilst the view is the user interface portion (typically platform-specific) presented on behalf of the model. Many programmers make the mistake of mixing this code together. Logan nicely outlines the benefits for separating these two to facilitate cross-platform development. With this approach, the developer may leverage different OS particular tools in GUI design without compromising the model. The author then describes both native and for cross-platform strategies for GUI development. This nicely segues into the remaining two chapters, the first on an existing C++ framework, and the final on how to develop your own.

 

The main criticism I have for this book is Chapter 8's narrow examination of cross-platform frameworks. This entire chapter, and a significant percentage of the book, is devoted exclusively to the wxWidgets toolkit, while only passing references are made to Qt, and no mention at all of any other frameworks like CPLAT. People interested in buying this book would certainly wish to get an overview of all the options available. The preferred framework choice of wxWidgets does not appear to come about from the author's opinion that it is the best one; in fact, he encourages the reader to investigate others such as Qt. Rather, it appears that he chose it because this is the one used in the development of AOL Communicator (for which he was on the engineering team). This does not seem to me to be a very compelling reason to exclude all other frameworks.

 

Having said that, Chapter 8 is still an excellent beginning tutorial on wxWidgets. Unlike native Mac building tools like Xcode and Interface Builder, wxWidgets is very command line-centric, making it rather awkward for most Mac developers. The information available from the wxwidgets.org web site is sometimes vague and contradictory, and it is never given from a Macintosh perspective. Unaided Mac programmers trying out this framework for the first time often feel like they are pogo-sticking through a minefield, blindfolded: things explode unexpectedly and without warning. Logan removes much of the scary mystery by handholding you through all the installation steps. And not just for the Mac, but also Linux and Windows.

 

The final Chapter, Developing a Cross-Platform GUI Toolkit in C++, is a wonderful resource on building your own C++ cross-platform framework. If you do not need the complicated awkwardness of wxWidgets, and if you can ill-afford the outrageous sums demanded by Trolltech for Qt licenses, then rolling your own toolkit may make a great deal of sense. But where to start? Well this is the chapter for you (and could itself be a primer for a second book devoted exclusively on the subject). Putting the pieces you need in place can be both a satisfying and productive experience. Nor will you need to await some third party to fix a critical bug that stands in your way when it is your source. Putting his money where his mouth is, Syd Logan designed and developed Trixul, an open source cross-platform toolkit inspired by the Netscape/Mozilla toolkit XUL. Being lightweight and free to use, Trixul is an excellent starting point for those needing to taylor-make their own C++ framework.

 

Conclusion

In conclusion, Cross-Platform Development in C++ is a must have by anyone interested in the subject. More importantly, it treats Mac OS X as a true first class citizen, including a plethora of Macintosh screen captures. As the Mac OS X marketshare continues to grow, outpacing even the most optimistic forecasts, developing for multiple platforms upfront is a great time and money saver. With that in mind, this book will be a wonderful resource on the desk of any C++ programmer.