JDIC misses the big picture

"JDIC will enable applications written for the Java platform (Java applications) to integrate more seamlessly with their native desktop environment."

I wish it did. I really wish it did... but it doesn't.

I, and other Swing developers, have spent hours upon hours under the magnifying glass -- literally -- using the Windows zoom tools to make sure all of the layouts and components are aligning down to the pixel level in my Swing app the same ways they would in a native Windows app. This is the kind of precision you need when you're building high quality user interfaces.

That said, if you are going to release Java versions of popular native components, they must look identical down to the pixel. And frankly these components don't even come close. Take a look at the Windows file chooser:

And now look at the JDIC file chooser:

In the JDIC version, the fonts are incorrect, there is no toolbar or menu bar, the JDIC "Modified" column should read "Date modified", there is no column shading for the selected column, and the list goes on.

I realize that the attempt is to make a UI function the same across platforms, but that is not real life. Political operating systems wars aside, we need native components to look like native components. This means custom code for each OS, special layouts, customizations, and whatever it takes to deliver a professional product.

Remember, the end goal is the product, not how we got there. None of my users will care if the app is written in Java, Swing, SWT, C#, or whatever. What they do care about, is whether it works like everything else on their desktops. And the end result of what I've seen in JDIC, is I still have to build all of this stuff myself.