FIrst of all I want to say that I am happy to once again return to XOJO development. I stopped hardcore coding in 2005 but came back several times for small projects and this week I had a new idea to work on.
My latest paid license is for XOJO 2017 release 3. I bet it still works and I can still build standalone applications with it. But should I? I mean, it is a few years behind, would it still be viable to build a serious desktop tool with that release or should/must I upgrade to the latest release?
It all depends on many things. Xojo 2019+ has the “API 2”, tons of changes in the languaje itself, many of them with no real beneffit beyond de change itself, Like renaming Msgbox for MessageBox, or using Var instead of Dim
If you use Web, now is dead and Web 2.0 is full of bugs and poor performance.
So, you have a learning curve ahead if you upgrade. If you target Mac or iOS this is almost mandatory to compile to new OSes, but if you target Web, Windows or linux, the upgrade is probably not woth the money.
If it works, you can use it. That’s the benefit of Xojo’s licensing.
There have been 17 updates since 2017 Release 3, with some pretty significant changes. Depending on what you’re doing that might be relevant to you. You can view the full list of changes here:
And my advice is to renew if you want to release applications and if you want to use the latest OS version(s).
Why ?
Check the release notes for 2018 thru 2021 (when it will be released).
Also, be serious ;-
No one today will draw books like monks in the 13rd century, but they will use a computer and a printer.
If, lke me, it is a problem to afford the current release, start your development with 2020r2.1 (the last one) and when 2021 will be released / you will be confident enough, get a brand new license.
This let you time to learn what Xojo is now / how you can fit with it.
You already have good answers, and will get some more.
64Bits applications / Dark Mode to say two great additions, but there are far more.
Nota: you do not tell what OS you are using / will compile for ?
And I do not talked about features not yet released (and I do not know about them).
In my opinion, 2017R3 remains the best and most producing Xojo version ever released. I often debug my new projects in 2017R3 because the interface is so responsive, and then open it in 2020R21 to compile for universal.
Hmmm. You seem to have such a negative view of Xojo one wonders why you are even here? I’ve used Web2.0 to develop three solutions so far and my customers are extremely pleased with the performance so not quite sure what you are referring to? Yes it has some bugs but none of them have prevented me from delivering solutions to my customers.
@Mark_Mitchell1
Glad you have had success with WEB 2.0 as I will be starting a project at work to port a current desktop application to web.
I’m rusty at API 2.0 so will be learning web 2 and API 2 all at the same time
You may need to move to newer version for macOS, if you like to support newer CPU from Apple.
On Windows, depending on what you do, you may stay with older version, e.g. if you need GDI drawing.
Probably best that I don’t fill this post with my personal experience of this.
But unlike other Xojo licences, the use you can get from an iOS licence has a very limited lifespan.
if you make a new app and it run into any trouble and you need to upgrade to 2020r2.1
could mean you need to rework at this project.
starting from 2020r2.1 is maybe better. it have more classes and features.
price/benefit is your choice.
Thank you for the prompt replies guys! I still know most of your names so it is good to see the veterans still around, that gives me confidence.
I am going to develop and test on Windows 10 but have Mac OS systems in the house as well and know some of my future users do too. There are no plans for web.
My idea is mostly about data entry, storing it in an SQLite database, and visualizing it in charts and overviews. There will be lots of calculations but hardly any fancy features, very business-like if you will.
XOJO 2020r2.1 is on my to-do list now, meaning I will see what it offers before I do too much work in my 2017 release.
