Why can't I run Lava ? It gives me XXXException or XXXError.
See the installation guide. Follow the guidelines TO THE LETTER and if you still can't work it out, email me at lava@hnet.demon.co.uk. Before you send me this sort of email, make sure you go through the installation notes. Too much of my time goes to sorting out peoples CLASSPATH settings, telling them to unzip the archive using recurse subdirectories and finding they are using an old version of the JDK.
Why is Lava so slow ?
Becuase it's written in Java. Try and get a JIT compiler for your JVM - this improves things quite a lot under Windows using the Sun performance pack. Also, using Swing components in any application will slow things down. To counter this, get loads of memory as this appears to help quite a lot.
Why is Lava not a WYSIWYG editor ?
There are WYSIWYG editors avilible, JForge and KGB for example, but I find them hard to use. I come from the VisualBasic school of GUI design which is not exactly WYSIWYG but produces good GUIs all the same. Basically, I wanted a VB style Pure Java design tool and that is what Lava is. If enough people headbutt me, I may change my views and alter Lava to act as a WYSIWYG tool in the future.
FixedGridLayout is good but it doesn't take into account insets and things.
I intend improving FixedGridLayout as time goes on. It will get better but I spent ages trying to get it working in the first place so it was just holding back the release of Lava 1.3. If anyone wants to improve FixedGridLayout for me let me know.
I think I've found a bug.
Email me at lava@hnet.demon.co.uk with a detailed description of the bug including how to reproduce it. Make sure you also include your operating system details, platform and JDK version as well as your classpath settings.
How do I contact the Lava team ?
You can contact the Lava team via email at lava@hnet.demon.co.uk or via the Lava Web Page.
How do I stay up to date with Lava development ?
If you want to get details of what is going on with Lava development, the Lava mailing list is the best way to do it. To join the Lava mailing list, send an email with the subject header Join Lava Mailing List. To unjoin, i.e. remove yourself from, the Lava mailing list, send an email with the subject header Unjoin Lava Mailing List.
Why is Lava so crap ?
Because I do it for free in my spare time. If people start paying me, I'll have more of an insentive to make things better. As it is, I'm only supporting Lava because, in my opinion, most comercially availible Java GUI builder products are awful. Try looking at a few rival free GUI builders and then tell me Lava is crap :
Can I distribute the FixedGridLayout class files used by my project ?
Yes.
Your spelling is awful and the documentation is hard to read and/or crap.
I know.
What about a menu editor ?
This has been plaguing me for ages. Basically I had been waiting for a good Tree control to implement a menu editor. The advent of Swing has fixed this and so I've got no excuse any more - watch this space.
Can I help with Lava development in anyway ?
You just might be able to fix the "Why is Lava so crap ?" question by getting of your arse and helping me. Lava has, so far, been all my own work but I am going to need help if it is going to get much bigger. If your interested, email me at lava@hnet.demon.co.uk.
I've got a fantastic idea for Lava.
Email me at lava@hnet.demon.co.uk with a detailed description of the idea and cross your fingers. I haven't got much time but if people are gagging for a particular feature, I will get around to it eventually.