A raw but functional virtual desktop - to be clear, this is not a "remote desktop". This is an application like any other... it just provides features that your desktop provides. So why create an app that duplicates features I already have?... One simple answer... control! :)
https://kansassamurai.github.io/VirtualDesktop/
Though I do have bigger plans for this application, this idea started because:
-
I am tired of Winblows arbitrarily reorganizing my desktop space. I do keep many shortcuts on my desktop (98% of them are to applications with the occasional link to a document). Windows likes to randumbly reorganize my icon placements and I spend another 20-30 minutes of my life that I will never get back putting them back. I finally thought to myself "hey... I'm a programmer... I'll just create my own desktop!"
-
Building on #1, ... I also use other operating systems both personally and at work. This application is another step for me having a consistent heterogenous desktop metaphor and I am no longer burdened with learning someone else's preferred desktop paradigm. [Though I prefer Linux to Winblows, I am talking about linux here and its cornucopia of desktop options. Some of them are pretty good but they also change based on linux distro and even at the whim of the development staff. I just need to open apps and docs people! :) ]
-
Finally, having a multi-platform Java based desktop provides me the opportunity to integrate some often used development packages. This is/was the original list... it will probably be pruned/altered soon but thought I would share the original idea:
- HyperSQL
- BeanShell
- JFreeChart
- XChart
- JCXConsole
- ...Groovy ...muCommander
- ...Swing ...Griffon?
This is definitely in the proof of concept stage but I find it a personally useful tool. In particular, the integration of BeanShell and the recent addition of the JCXConsole are providing some interesting use cases.
Also, even though my goal was to integrate various tools into the same JVM/memory space, it obviously has the drawback that one misbehaving tool can crash the entire JVM. Therefore, if you use this environment to edit files, be sure that you save often.
Due to the current version of Groovy being used, the Groovy console will throw the following exception (via SpecGroovyConsole):
Caused by: java.lang.reflect.InaccessibleObjectException:
Unable to make jdk.internal.loader.ClassLoaders$AppClassLoader(jdk.internal.loader.ClassLoaders$PlatformClassLoader,jdk.internal.loader.URLClassPath) accessible:
module java.base
does not "opens jdk.internal.loader"
to unnamed module @3fd08df9
This appears to be a relatively common issue with legacy APIs as explained on the following web pages:
- [https://docs.oracle.com/javase/9/migrate/toc.htm]
- [https://issues.apache.org/jira/browse/GROOVY-9390]
- [https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/java/jdk/transition-from-java-8-to-java-11#warning-an-illegal-reflective-access-operation-has-occurred]
If calling from the command line, use the JAVA_OPTS syntax below... If calling via an Eclipse project, add to the 'VM arguments' textarea option via the Run configuration:
JAVA_OPTS=--add-opens=java.base/jdk.internal.loader=ALL-UNNAMED
VM arguments: --add-opens=java.base/jdk.internal.loader=ALL-UNNAMED
These four(4) .jar files have to be manually downloaded and installed to your local maven repository (if I determine that I can upload them as part of the project files then I will):
mvn install:install-file -Dfile=weblaf-1.29.jar -DgroupId=com.mgarin -DartifactId=weblaf -Dversion=1.29 -Dpackaging=jar
mvn install:install-file -Dfile=jsilhouette-0.2.jar -DgroupId=org.kordamp -DartifactId=jsilhouette -Dversion=0.2 -Dpackaging=jar
mvn install:install-file -Dfile=graphicsbuilder-0.6.1.jar -DgroupId=org.codehaus.groovy-contrib -DartifactId=graphicsbuilder -Dversion=0.6.1 -Dpackaging=jar
mvn install:install-file -Dfile=dans-dbf-lib-1.0.0-beta-10.jar -DgroupId=nl.knaw.dans.common -DartifactId=dans-dbf-lib -Dversion=1.0.0-beta-10 -Dpackaging=jar
<dependency>
<groupId>org.codehaus.groovy-contrib</groupId>
<artifactId>graphicsbuilder</artifactId>
<version>0.6.1</version>
</dependency>
<dependency>
<groupId>org.kordamp</groupId>
<artifactId>jsilhouette</artifactId>
<version>0.2</version>
</dependency>
<dependency>
<groupId>com.mgarin</groupId>
<artifactId>weblaf</artifactId>
<version>1.27</version>
</dependency>