Full version of MD for Android / using MD with Dropbox
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Chris Hamann
Hey Moneydance community...
Because Moneydance is a Java app, much like Android applications, wouldn't it be relatively easy to make a full version of MD for Android?
On a related note, I currently use Dropbox to share my MD file across Windows, Mac, and Linux PCs at my home...so I can enter transactions no matter what PC I have available. Couldn't a similar method be used to allow access to Moneydance from an Android / iOS device?
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1
Ben Spencer
on 05 Feb, 2011 06:35 PM
Hi Chris
It is the case that Moneydance is written in Java and it is certainly claimed that Android devices run Java applications. However this is not entirely accurate. To run a Java application you need a java virtual machine (JVM). Android comes with Dalvik VM which is like a java virtual machine however it does not support any of the standard java graphical user interface libraries. (java.swing or java.awt). What this means is that when you write a program for android you write in a language that looks and behaves just like java but you do not get access to all the standard java libraries.
While it would be a very simple process to get the core logic ported from Moneydance to the Android platform the user interface would have to be completely rewritten using the Android libraries. This would be a very significant undertaking as perhaps 3/4 of the Moneydance source code is in fact user interface code.
With regard to the use of dropbox for synchronization we are working on such a method for our mobile syncing system. When we do eventually write a Moneydance app for android it will almost certainly sync using Drobbox or some other similar service.
Sincerely
Ben Spencer
Moneydance Support
2
Chris Hamann
on 05 Feb, 2011 09:41 PM
Thanks for the clarification Ben...I look forward to the Android app!
Ben Spencer closed this discussion on 05 Feb, 2011 10:17 PM.