AppForge 2.0 Allows Cross-Platform Apps

Posted By: Ed on Tuesday, September 25, 2001 10:01:11 AM

AppForge 2.0, which was released recently, allows developers to write applications using Visual Basic and run those applications on both Palm OS and Pocket PC devices. It has a combination of Microsoft Visual Studio extensions that install into Visual Basic 6.0, and operating system extensions, called Boosters, that run on the device. There are Boosters available for the Palm OS, iPaq, and HP Jornada.

AppForge currently has over 30,000 developers and over 2,000 applications in use around the world.

Doug Armstrong, CEO at AppForge, said, "Every day we hear from customers who have completed projects in six to eight weeks. With version 2.0 they can have those same applications running on Pocket PC devices with no additional development."

There are four varieties of the AppForge development software. AppForge Professional for Palm OS costs $700. AppForge Professional for Pocket PC costs $900. AppForge Professional for Palm OS and Pocket PC (The Professional Bundle) is $1,300. There is also a "lite" version, designed for hobbyists and entry- level programmers, called the Personal Edition that sells for $70.

The Booster operating system extensions are available on the AppForge website. The Compaq iPAQ and HP Jornada ones cost $25. The Palm OS Booster is available at no charge, courtesy of Palm, Inc.

Related Information:

PIC: Write Apps That Work on Both Palm and PPC
PIC: Developers' Forum

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Article Comments
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I'm confused...

I.M. Anonymous @ 9/25/2001 10:34:53 AM #

Does this mean that you can't make a standalone Palm App with AppForge anymore? Could you ever? Does this mean the Booster has to be installed as well?

RE: I'm confused...

Ed @ 9/25/2001 10:38:29 AM #

The original version required that the AppForge Virtual Machine (about 300k) be on the Palm before any user-created app would run. Sounds like they have changed its name and created ones for the PPC models. So yes, the Booster must be on every handheld that is going to run an AppForge-created application. I don't know what size the new Booster file is.

---
News Editor

RE: I'm confused...

bcombee @ 9/25/2001 10:49:23 AM #

Actually, Booster has been the name of the virtual machine from the start. It also was the nickname of the orange PT Cruiser the AppForge guys were driving around PalmSource 2000.

Good news for PocketPC

I.M. Anonymous @ 9/25/2001 10:58:19 AM #

Actually, AppForge 2.0 is the Visual Basic Microsoft should have released for PocketPC, instead of that horrible eVB (embedded Visual Basic). I expect that those eVB developers who can afford it will switch. I've used previous versions of AppForge for Palm and found that, for computationally intensive applications, it's just far too slow. For example, filling up a pop-up list box with a hundred or so items takes way too long. I wonder if 2.0 addresses problems like this.

evB versus AppForge

I.M. Anonymous @ 3/14/2002 12:00:08 PM #

Hello.I have read your post and I want know if evB is really bad to develope. Is better APPFORGE? Must I change to APPFforge?

I have a Pocket PC Ipaq h3600. My mail is
xabi@e-inice.com

Thanks

Horrible support

I.M. Anonymous @ 9/25/2001 11:23:04 AM #

I've evaluated it and was mildly impressed. There are errors in the doumentation though about the winsock ingot. I tried to ask support if this was a known bug and after 4 days they said they couldn't find my question and to resubmit it with source code.

???

Back to EVB. (UGH)

AppForge

pinetree74 @ 9/25/2001 6:02:02 PM #

Ahh, I love the idea, but AppForge is WAY too expensive for a Palm development tool... I use
NSBasic/Palm ( http://www.nsbasic.com/palm ) and CodeWarrior...

Eston Bond
CEO Pine Tree Software

Booster

atrizzah @ 9/26/2001 4:03:10 PM #

The Booster is the main problem with the whole setup. Unless there's an application that you just can't do without, I'm not sure many users can justify putting this 300K beast on their Palm in order to run 1 or 2 <100K programs

Peace Out
Alan

expensive

I.M. Anonymous @ 9/26/2001 6:17:01 PM #

not only is the development environment expensive but distribution is as well, at least for the PocketPCs. $25 each for the runtime engine for PPC. free for palm. another reason to avoid those damn ppcs.

Palm Software on sale