Yesterday I talked about Xojo Desktop 2.0 and how GraffitiSuite fits in to that picture. At the time I was really frustrated and didn’t know how I was going to proceed. Thanks to that post, however, some of my users reached out to offer their support and discuss. At the end of these discussions, I had a path forward.
Practically all of the customers that I spoke to had one thing to say:
You do what you need to do and we have your back.
I’m honestly speechless just sharing that the overwhelming majority of them felt that way. I shouldn’t be. Back when the Web 1.0 to Web 2.0 switch was happening, I received the same sentiments from customers, but I was sure this time would be different.
So, right, what’s the plan then?
Go to the Winchester, have a nice cold pint, and wait for all of this to blow over. How’s that for a slice of fried gold?
Shaun of the Dead — Shaun
As soon as I have something that I’m comfortable with, I’ll be releasing GraffitiSuite R43.1 for Desktop. This will be the first version of GraffitiSuite specifically targeting Xojo Desktop API 2.0. Which also means that R43 will be the last public release for Xojo Desktop API 1.0 (barring some unforeseen circumstance). I will still provide one-on-one support (via the support system) for Desktop API 1.0 projects on a case-by-case basis until March 15, 2022, but there will be no more public cumulative releases or new products for Desktop 1.0.
I’m still not entirely happy with this cutoff, just as I wasn’t when it had to be done for Web 1.0 versus Web 2.0, but it’s the most sane option for me. Additionally, as I’ve been writing this, I’ve been receiving more messages from users who are happy to follow along with the move to Desktop 2.0.
The road will be bumpy for most folks, for sure. Performing this conversion isn’t a quick process and most of the changes aren’t obvious. I started on it yesterday with the launch of Xojo 2021R3 from nearly 3,000 total errors. I just hit the Run button a few minutes ago and was finally able to see the first demo window. Now, to be sure, there will be some bugs and functionality issues I need to fix, but that’s quite a triumphant feeling.
I’m actually really looking forward to getting this in to the hands of customers at this point.