# A thought starter: Xojo, RAD, and AI (towards a possible evolution) **URL:** \ **Category:** AI\ **Created:** [December 18, 2025, 11:58am UTC](https://forum.xojo.com/t/a-thought-starter-xojo-rad-and-ai-towards-a-possible-evolution/87285 "2025-12-18T11:58:51Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Nicola\_Favero](https://forum.xojo.com/user_avatar/forum.xojo.com/nicola_favero/32/3658_2.png) [@Nicola\_Favero](https://forum.xojo.com/u/Nicola_Favero)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2025, 11:58am UTC](https://forum.xojo.com/t/a-thought-starter-xojo-rad-and-ai-towards-a-possible-evolution/87285/1 "2025-12-18T11:58:51Z")
Hi all, Over the past months, several discussions have emerged around Xojo and the use of AI in development, often focused on individual features or specific tools. I’d like to share a broader thought starter, with the goal of encouraging a constructive discussion among developers rather than proposing a closed or definitive solution. Xojo is appreciated by many for its RAD model: visual designer, event-driven programming, and rapid development of business applications. This is a real strength and not something that should be lost. At the same time, the way many of us work with code is changing: external editors, automation tools, headless builds, and AI helping to read and modify complex projects. The question may not be whether Xojo should “chase” these tools, but how it can coexist with them without losing its identity. With modern AI tools (ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude), I’ve put together a technical document that explores this direction, starting from a few general principles: - keeping RAD and the visual designer at the centre - avoiding imposed architectures or radical rewrites - making projects more open and interoperable - moving forward in phases, without disruptive changes The document is intentionally aspirational but explicitly phased: it’s meant as a basis for discussion, not as a list of features to be implemented immediately. For those interested in the technical details, I’ve attached the document to this post as a ZIP file. I hope this can serve as a starting point for a community discussion: - Which aspects do you consider most relevant for Xojo’s future? - What feels realistic in the short term, and what does not? - Which pain points do you experience most in your day-to-day work? The idea is that value emerges from the discussion itself. Xojo has grown in the past thanks to this kind of exchange within the community. Thanks to everyone who wants to share their thoughts. [Xojo\_RAD\_AI\_RFC.md.zip](https://forum.xojo.com/uploads/short-url/ikIg46IPL8bRn7AU5Nz0ybIqKS4.zip) (6.7 KB) ---
**Author:** ![Beatrix\_Willius](https://forum.xojo.com/user_avatar/forum.xojo.com/beatrix_willius/32/282_2.png) [@Beatrix\_Willius](https://forum.xojo.com/u/Beatrix_Willius)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2025, 1:10pm UTC](https://forum.xojo.com/t/a-thought-starter-xojo-rad-and-ai-towards-a-possible-evolution/87285/2 "2025-12-18T13:10:30Z")
Both the text format and xml work fine with AI. Not sure why you need a new format. Bidirectional Filesystem Synchronization is necessary. A CLI would be welcome but IDE Communicator with Json output has been working fine for the last half dozen years or so. The rationale for both Project Structure Export and Explicit Event Wiring is not clear to me at all. Just get rid of Jade. There is only one person you need to convince and that is Geoff. Currently, I would settle for getting the AI code back to Xojo in a faster way. ---
**Author:** ![Nicola\_Favero](https://forum.xojo.com/user_avatar/forum.xojo.com/nicola_favero/32/3658_2.png) [@Nicola\_Favero](https://forum.xojo.com/u/Nicola_Favero)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2025, 3:03pm UTC](https://forum.xojo.com/t/a-thought-starter-xojo-rad-and-ai-towards-a-possible-evolution/87285/3 "2025-12-18T15:03:55Z")
Thanks, Beatrix — I agree with several points. **On formats:** you’re right that both the current text format and XML are readable by AI. The reason I mentioned a UIDL-like representation isn’t “because AI can’t parse XML or plain text”, but to make UI state _deterministic_ and _diff/patch-friendly_ (stable IDs, explicit non-default properties, predictable serialization), so external tools and agents can change UI safely without breaking projects. **On bidirectional filesystem sync:** fully agree — that’s the key enabler. **On CLI vs IDE Communicator:** also agree that IDE Communicator with JSON output can work today. The CLI idea is mainly about a standard, headless, scriptable path (CI/agents, consistent exit codes) without requiring the IDE to be open. **On Project Structure Export:** the intent is context reduction. A “structure-only” view (types, modules, method signatures, UI outline) gives agents a _map_ of the project without shipping the whole codebase every time — especially helpful for large or legacy projects and token/cost limits. **On explicit event wiring:** for humans the designer works well, but for automated refactors and patches it’s opaque. Making the wiring explicit (or at least exportable) helps tools understand event flow and apply changes more reliably. **On Jade:** I’m not attached to it as a chat feature. My focus is on interoperability; Jade could evolve into an optional orchestrator or bridge, or simply be deprioritized if it doesn’t add clear value. And yes — getting AI-generated code back into Xojo faster is a very reasonable first win. Thanks for sharing your perspective. ---
**Author:** ![Odeyani\_Lugardo](https://forum.xojo.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/o/f07891/32.png) [@Odeyani\_Lugardo](https://forum.xojo.com/u/Odeyani_Lugardo)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2025, 5:47pm UTC](https://forum.xojo.com/t/a-thought-starter-xojo-rad-and-ai-towards-a-possible-evolution/87285/4 "2025-12-18T17:47:09Z")
> [@Beatrix\_Willius](#): > > There is only one person you need to convince and that is Geoff. Looks like he is a big fan of useles features. If I need my own api key and jade cant interact with the code. It is easier to work directly on the own AI chat. WTF is the use case for jade ? ---
**Author:** ![MarkusR](https://forum.xojo.com/user_avatar/forum.xojo.com/markusr/32/685_2.png) [@MarkusR](https://forum.xojo.com/u/MarkusR)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2025, 7:51pm UTC](https://forum.xojo.com/t/a-thought-starter-xojo-rad-and-ai-towards-a-possible-evolution/87285/5 "2025-12-18T19:51:28Z")
> [@Odeyani\_Lugardo](#): > > WTF is the use case for jade ? it was explained in this forum. a initial build-in. i think 2026 there will come more modifications. ---
**Author:** ![brian\_franco](https://forum.xojo.com/user_avatar/forum.xojo.com/brian_franco/32/156_2.png) [@brian\_franco](https://forum.xojo.com/u/brian_franco)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2025, 7:58pm UTC](https://forum.xojo.com/t/a-thought-starter-xojo-rad-and-ai-towards-a-possible-evolution/87285/6 "2025-12-18T19:58:04Z")
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NA01uEhdjSw](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NA01uEhdjSw) Section talks about Jade ---
**Author:** ![PhilippeP](https://forum.xojo.com/user_avatar/forum.xojo.com/philippep/32/5348_2.png) [@PhilippeP](https://forum.xojo.com/u/PhilippeP)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2025, 6:10am UTC](https://forum.xojo.com/t/a-thought-starter-xojo-rad-and-ai-towards-a-possible-evolution/87285/7 "2025-12-20T06:10:16Z")
link with correct timing to ai [https://youtu.be/NA01uEhdjSw?si=Wyvv173IjRwHSX6R&t=1878](https://youtu.be/NA01uEhdjSw?si=Wyvv173IjRwHSX6R&t=1878) ---
**Author:** ![Rick\_Araujo](https://forum.xojo.com/user_avatar/forum.xojo.com/rick_araujo/32/251_2.png) [@Rick\_Araujo](https://forum.xojo.com/u/Rick_Araujo)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2025, 12:54pm UTC](https://forum.xojo.com/t/a-thought-starter-xojo-rad-and-ai-towards-a-possible-evolution/87285/8 "2025-12-20T12:54:23Z")
Basically Jade is a chat section in a browser window pointed to [claude.ai](https://claude.ai) . We already have “Jade” for all previous Xojo versions if we want to. ---
**Author:** ![Jean-Yves\_Pochez](https://forum.xojo.com/user_avatar/forum.xojo.com/jean-yves_pochez/32/21769_2.png) [@Jean-Yves\_Pochez](https://forum.xojo.com/u/Jean-Yves_Pochez)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2025, 11:11am UTC](https://forum.xojo.com/t/a-thought-starter-xojo-rad-and-ai-towards-a-possible-evolution/87285/9 "2025-12-21T11:11:18Z")
> [@Rick\_Araujo](#): > > Basically Jade is a chat section in a browser window pointed to [claude.ai](https://claude.ai) and as you need a claude api key it cost more as it is not included in your eventual claude plan (you still need to have one) use claude free web chat and you have the same as Jade but it costs you nothing. ---
**Author:** ![Emile\_Schwarz](https://forum.xojo.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/e/90ced4/32.png) [@Emile\_Schwarz](https://forum.xojo.com/u/Emile_Schwarz)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2025, 11:38am UTC](https://forum.xojo.com/t/a-thought-starter-xojo-rad-and-ai-towards-a-possible-evolution/87285/10 "2025-12-21T11:38:06Z")
> [@Jean-Yves\_Pochez](#): > > you have the same as Jade but it costs you nothing. That is the first time I read that. ---
**Author:** ![Jean-Yves\_Pochez](https://forum.xojo.com/user_avatar/forum.xojo.com/jean-yves_pochez/32/21769_2.png) [@Jean-Yves\_Pochez](https://forum.xojo.com/u/Jean-Yves_Pochez)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2025, 12:27pm UTC](https://forum.xojo.com/t/a-thought-starter-xojo-rad-and-ai-towards-a-possible-evolution/87285/11 "2025-12-21T12:27:08Z")
of course you need to have a “good” prompt but Claude knows what is Xojo quite well only tell it to look into [documentation.xojo.com](http://documentation.xojo.com) for the exact syntax and it works very well ---
**Author:** ![Erwin\_Meijer](https://forum.xojo.com/user_avatar/forum.xojo.com/erwin_meijer/32/800_2.png) [@Erwin\_Meijer](https://forum.xojo.com/u/Erwin_Meijer)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2025, 4:30pm UTC](https://forum.xojo.com/t/a-thought-starter-xojo-rad-and-ai-towards-a-possible-evolution/87285/12 "2025-12-30T16:30:48Z")
Yes, the Jade functionality is a start. Maybe it’s a slightly too cautious start, or perhaps it is released a bit too early ;-). But hey, it’s just a button in the top-right corner—if you don’t click it, it won’t bother you. Yes, it’s limited. Maybe in 25.3.1 there could be an option to set a maximum number of tokens… Right now it stops halfway ☹ which results in a lot—_a lot_—of copying and pasting. But I see it more as a signal from Xojo that **they** are moving forward and becoming more mature. Bidirectional text files are especially important, and being able to generate classes from files and folder structures instead of importing or copy-pasting would be **SUPER**. So, really… I’m happy. I’d just like to see it on the roadmap (I couldn’t find any of this there yet). ---
**Author:** ![ChristopheDV](https://forum.xojo.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/c/59ef9b/32.png) [@ChristopheDV](https://forum.xojo.com/u/ChristopheDV)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2025, 5:18pm UTC](https://forum.xojo.com/t/a-thought-starter-xojo-rad-and-ai-towards-a-possible-evolution/87285/13 "2025-12-30T17:18:06Z")
> [@Erwin\_Meijer](#): > > Yes, the Jade functionality is a start. I don’t think it is. The problem is it needs a Claude API key (which is pretty expensive, most certainly if you use it a lot). Claude can be used for free with Cursor (or even the Claude chat will do fine if you do not mind copy/paste code). I really do not understand why they put resources in Jade. Unless it can be used for free with Claude (or any other AI) it won’t stand a change. ---
**Author:** ![Erwin\_Meijer](https://forum.xojo.com/user_avatar/forum.xojo.com/erwin_meijer/32/800_2.png) [@Erwin\_Meijer](https://forum.xojo.com/u/Erwin_Meijer)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2025, 6:31am UTC](https://forum.xojo.com/t/a-thought-starter-xojo-rad-and-ai-towards-a-possible-evolution/87285/14 "2025-12-31T06:31:49Z")
> [@ChristopheDV](#): > > Claude can be used for free with Cursor ### Free! That should probably be illegal. Teachers create assignments with AI, and students complete them with AI. Managers make company policies they don’t even understand themselves (but hey, AI said it’s correct, so it must be true—Arghhhh!). All of this relies on AI’s “intelligence,” which, as we should know, is based on the most probable outcome—the “average of the herd” (aka humanity on the internet). To keep AI running, Meta alone operates 1.3 million GPUs, consuming megawatts of electricity. And for what? 90% of it is pointless questions. I suspect OpenAI and Google are even bigger players in the AI game. Let’s do the math: - Average power of a nuclear reactor: 1,200 MW (1,200,000 kW) Max power consumption of an NVIDIA H100 GPU: 700 W = 0.7 kW GPUs per reactor: 1,200,000 / 0.7 ≈ 1.7 million H100s at full capacity Sure, I know—network losses, cooling, infrastructure, etc. Nuclear plants usually operate at 90–95% capacity, so realistically: ~1.5 million GPUs. And that’s without counting the servers these GPUs run on, powered by Epyc or Intel processors, plus storage and networking. So basically, one nuclear reactor could be powering just Meta AI (not even counting all the other wasteful activities of Meta #SavingThePlanet 🤔 🫣). I have nothing against AI, as long as people keep thinking for themselves. But I _do_ have a problem with “free AI” for entertainment. How do we expect people to be mindful of resource usage if they don’t have to pay for it? So..I’m not some leftist world-saver, but it’s ironic how many “green” activists are happily running AI at full throttle. PS: And I’m writing this while we (my fellow countrymen and I) are portrayed worldwide as cheapskates with the term “Dutch parties” 🤣 ---
**Author:** ![ChristopheDV](https://forum.xojo.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/c/59ef9b/32.png) [@ChristopheDV](https://forum.xojo.com/u/ChristopheDV)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2025, 9:06am UTC](https://forum.xojo.com/t/a-thought-starter-xojo-rad-and-ai-towards-a-possible-evolution/87285/15 "2025-12-31T09:06:12Z")
Thanks for playing the moral knight for a moment. 🙄 ---
**Author:** ![Jeremie\_L](https://forum.xojo.com/user_avatar/forum.xojo.com/jeremie_l/32/150_2.png) [@Jeremie\_L](https://forum.xojo.com/u/Jeremie_L)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2025, 9:09am UTC](https://forum.xojo.com/t/a-thought-starter-xojo-rad-and-ai-towards-a-possible-evolution/87285/16 "2025-12-31T09:09:20Z")
Cursor has a monthly subscription with AI limits based on the price tier. It isn’t free but it’s included in the product’s subscription. ---
**Author:** ![ChristopheDV](https://forum.xojo.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/c/59ef9b/32.png) [@ChristopheDV](https://forum.xojo.com/u/ChristopheDV)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2025, 10:18am UTC](https://forum.xojo.com/t/a-thought-starter-xojo-rad-and-ai-towards-a-possible-evolution/87285/17 "2025-12-31T10:18:00Z")
I use the free tier of Cursor. For most projects it is good enough. ---
**Author:** ![Erwin\_Meijer](https://forum.xojo.com/user_avatar/forum.xojo.com/erwin_meijer/32/800_2.png) [@Erwin\_Meijer](https://forum.xojo.com/u/Erwin_Meijer)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2025, 11:02am UTC](https://forum.xojo.com/t/a-thought-starter-xojo-rad-and-ai-towards-a-possible-evolution/87285/18 "2025-12-31T11:02:07Z")
Do you need a API key to use your Cursor account??? Yes? problem solved you can use Xojo JADE No? Oh oh … Houston we have a problem 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Erwin\_Meijer](https://forum.xojo.com/user_avatar/forum.xojo.com/erwin_meijer/32/800_2.png) [@Erwin\_Meijer](https://forum.xojo.com/u/Erwin_Meijer)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2025, 11:11am UTC](https://forum.xojo.com/t/a-thought-starter-xojo-rad-and-ai-towards-a-possible-evolution/87285/19 "2025-12-31T11:11:32Z")
Oh yes, I was a moral knight for a very brief moment.😇 I used AI to translate my Dutch text. But fair is fair, I paid $50 for Claude, and it works perfectly. A year ago I paid $5 for Claude, and you could ask quite a lot before those $5 were used up. But I don’t chat like, “Hi Claude, how are you doing today,” and that helps a lot with my mental health, my wallet and the planet. ---
**Author:** ![ChristopheDV](https://forum.xojo.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/c/59ef9b/32.png) [@ChristopheDV](https://forum.xojo.com/u/ChristopheDV)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2025, 11:20am UTC](https://forum.xojo.com/t/a-thought-starter-xojo-rad-and-ai-towards-a-possible-evolution/87285/20 "2025-12-31T11:20:45Z")
> [@Erwin\_Meijer](#): > > Do you need a API key to use your Cursor account??? No [Next page](https://forum.xojo.com/t/a-thought-starter-xojo-rad-and-ai-towards-a-possible-evolution/87285.md?page=2)