Is it worth using?
-
I am getting ready to embark on a new project using MFC and I'm looking for a good UI control library. I came across the ToolkitPro suite by Codejock. I've heard their name around here before but am curious what the overall opinion is of this suite/company. If anyone knows anything about the following it would be of great help. 1) Does anyone know how usable the control suite is and how well it seems to perform? 2) What is the company's support like? 3) Is the code mostly reliable? (How often do you find bugs and how does this tie into #2?) 4) Other misc. comments, warnings or praise welcome :) Also, if anyone knows of any other UI toolkits / control suites out there that provide a good level of functionality, reliability and performance I would love to hear about it. Please note though, I am only interested in libraries that can be used in a MFC/C++ project. Thanks for any help :)
Joseph Dempsey joseph_r_dempsey@yahoo.com
-
I am getting ready to embark on a new project using MFC and I'm looking for a good UI control library. I came across the ToolkitPro suite by Codejock. I've heard their name around here before but am curious what the overall opinion is of this suite/company. If anyone knows anything about the following it would be of great help. 1) Does anyone know how usable the control suite is and how well it seems to perform? 2) What is the company's support like? 3) Is the code mostly reliable? (How often do you find bugs and how does this tie into #2?) 4) Other misc. comments, warnings or praise welcome :) Also, if anyone knows of any other UI toolkits / control suites out there that provide a good level of functionality, reliability and performance I would love to hear about it. Please note though, I am only interested in libraries that can be used in a MFC/C++ project. Thanks for any help :)
Joseph Dempsey joseph_r_dempsey@yahoo.com
I have been using it for last 4-5 years.
Joseph Dempsey wrote:
- Does anyone know how usable the control suite is and how well it seems to perform?
Extremely usable and never had any issues with performance.
Joseph Dempsey wrote:
- What is the company's support like?
Never needed support because I normally look at the source code. Once I had a minor query and I found the answer in their forums.
Joseph Dempsey wrote:
Is the code mostly reliable? (How often do you find bugs and how does this tie into #2?)
Yes and yes! It's well written. As with any software there are bugs but I will say that I have never had any major issues yet. I have nothing but praises. They stay up to date and their pace of innovation is great. For example, they came up with the Ribbon as soon as Office Beta was released. The only one thing they are lacking is a grid control.
-
I have been using it for last 4-5 years.
Joseph Dempsey wrote:
- Does anyone know how usable the control suite is and how well it seems to perform?
Extremely usable and never had any issues with performance.
Joseph Dempsey wrote:
- What is the company's support like?
Never needed support because I normally look at the source code. Once I had a minor query and I found the answer in their forums.
Joseph Dempsey wrote:
Is the code mostly reliable? (How often do you find bugs and how does this tie into #2?)
Yes and yes! It's well written. As with any software there are bugs but I will say that I have never had any major issues yet. I have nothing but praises. They stay up to date and their pace of innovation is great. For example, they came up with the Ribbon as soon as Office Beta was released. The only one thing they are lacking is a grid control.
Coming from you I think that's about all the endorsement a product needs. If I was looking at this product, after reading your comments I'd have no concerns with buying it. ... ... ... Then I'd just email all my questions to you.:laugh:
My name is Maximus Decimus Meridius, Commander of the Armies of the North, General of the Felix Legions, loyal servant to the true emperor, Marcus Aurelius. Father to a murdered process, husband to a murdered thread. And I will have my vengeance, in this life or the next. - Gladiator I work to live. I do not live to work. My clients do not seem capable of grasping this fact.
-
I have been using it for last 4-5 years.
Joseph Dempsey wrote:
- Does anyone know how usable the control suite is and how well it seems to perform?
Extremely usable and never had any issues with performance.
Joseph Dempsey wrote:
- What is the company's support like?
Never needed support because I normally look at the source code. Once I had a minor query and I found the answer in their forums.
Joseph Dempsey wrote:
Is the code mostly reliable? (How often do you find bugs and how does this tie into #2?)
Yes and yes! It's well written. As with any software there are bugs but I will say that I have never had any major issues yet. I have nothing but praises. They stay up to date and their pace of innovation is great. For example, they came up with the Ribbon as soon as Office Beta was released. The only one thing they are lacking is a grid control.
Thanks for the feedback. Considering that I really liked it at first glance and you have seemed to have no issues with it I will probably end up with that toolkit. I'm going to demo it first of course but so long as that goes well I'll check it out. Thanks again!
Joseph Dempsey joseph_r_dempsey@yahoo.com
-
I am getting ready to embark on a new project using MFC and I'm looking for a good UI control library. I came across the ToolkitPro suite by Codejock. I've heard their name around here before but am curious what the overall opinion is of this suite/company. If anyone knows anything about the following it would be of great help. 1) Does anyone know how usable the control suite is and how well it seems to perform? 2) What is the company's support like? 3) Is the code mostly reliable? (How often do you find bugs and how does this tie into #2?) 4) Other misc. comments, warnings or praise welcome :) Also, if anyone knows of any other UI toolkits / control suites out there that provide a good level of functionality, reliability and performance I would love to hear about it. Please note though, I am only interested in libraries that can be used in a MFC/C++ project. Thanks for any help :)
Joseph Dempsey joseph_r_dempsey@yahoo.com
A few years ago, I did an evaluation of various MFC toolkits. Going in, based on various comments I'd heard, I expected CodeJock to not do so well. In the end, it trounced its competitors in every way. One thing that impressed me above all was their incredible support. Our app had an unusual UI requirement that was proved difficult to implement with all the toolkits, including CodeJock. I was never actually able to implement it with BCG and their support was of no help, which made sense since while digging deep, I discovered their architecture would require a fundamentally redesign to make it work according to our requirements. By contrast, CodeJock's response was immediate, detailed and allowed me to finish the test app (there was a small redraw bug which I informed them of; they reproduced it and promised a fix, though the project got canceled before we even made a purchase. Now it is entirely possible that in the past three years, CodeJock has gone downhill, but I doubt it. PS. At the start, I thought BCG was going to win. In the end, I grew to utterly detest their toolkit. It is very poorly documented, was full of bugs and did not like its architecture at all. Unless they've changed their libraries, I also found that linking with their library was basically an all or nothing proposition; it had to link in several hundred k regardless of how few pieces I used.
Anyone who thinks he has a better idea of what's good for people than people do is a swine. - P.J. O'Rourke
-
A few years ago, I did an evaluation of various MFC toolkits. Going in, based on various comments I'd heard, I expected CodeJock to not do so well. In the end, it trounced its competitors in every way. One thing that impressed me above all was their incredible support. Our app had an unusual UI requirement that was proved difficult to implement with all the toolkits, including CodeJock. I was never actually able to implement it with BCG and their support was of no help, which made sense since while digging deep, I discovered their architecture would require a fundamentally redesign to make it work according to our requirements. By contrast, CodeJock's response was immediate, detailed and allowed me to finish the test app (there was a small redraw bug which I informed them of; they reproduced it and promised a fix, though the project got canceled before we even made a purchase. Now it is entirely possible that in the past three years, CodeJock has gone downhill, but I doubt it. PS. At the start, I thought BCG was going to win. In the end, I grew to utterly detest their toolkit. It is very poorly documented, was full of bugs and did not like its architecture at all. Unless they've changed their libraries, I also found that linking with their library was basically an all or nothing proposition; it had to link in several hundred k regardless of how few pieces I used.
Anyone who thinks he has a better idea of what's good for people than people do is a swine. - P.J. O'Rourke
Thanks for the comments. Its good to see that people have nice things to say about both the product and the level of support for that product. You just don't see that much anymore. This give me hope that the toolkit will integrate nicely into my application and perform well. Thanks again!
Joseph Dempsey joseph_r_dempsey@yahoo.com