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Software Sun Microsystems Introduces JavaFX Mobile Technology
Michael Hoffman (Blog) - May 8, 2007 11:47 PM

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5 comment(s) - last by GoatMonkey.. on May 9 at 1:08 PM

Sun Microsystems yesterday announced details about JavaFX Mobile, its new technology for mobile phones

During the JavaOne computer conference in San Francisco, Sun Microsytems yesterday previewed JavaFX, a new line focused on Java technology-based products. JavaFX Mobile, designed for products such as mobile phones, was the first announcement by the company. JavaFX Mobile is a combination of a mobile version of Java, and technology created by SavaJe Technologies, a Java-based phone development software company Sun acquired earlier in 2007.

"With JavaFX, Sun is leveraging the security and pervasiveness of the world's most widely deployed technology platform to allow creative professionals to easily author and deliver on any device," said Rich Green, Sun Software's executive vice president.

Sun hopes that both phone service carriers and device manufacturers will be able to utilize the technology to help easily create consumer-friendly programs.

Sun will make the JavaFX Mobile software available to the open source community, but will license it to phone carriers and phone manufacturers.

The market for Internet-connected mobile has expanded globally, with more users turning to mobile phones for Internet connection while on the go. Analysts previously stated that Sun needed to update mobile Java due to the market growing so quickly.

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Huh?

By Rotkiv on 5/9/2007 8:07:02 AM , Rating: 3

Sounds nice, but what is it?

RE: Huh?

By GoatMonkey on 5/9/2007 11:07:14 AM , Rating: 2

Looks like it's a Java library that can be used to interact with a web page. It's not extremely clear exactly what it is though. In some places they talk about replacing AJAX, and then they go on to talk about using it in a non-networked application (maybe disk access?). It should become clearer when they release a version of it that people can play with.

Parent

RE: Huh?

By GoatMonkey on 5/9/2007 1:08:00 PM , Rating: 2

quote:
There are more perks with JavaFX, Sun officials claim. One of the knocks on AJAX applications, aside from browser compatibility, is that it requires a large amount of JavaScript to be sent over the wire; that script could have something malicious embedded in it.

quote:
JavaFX eliminates that need by using the locally installed Java SE files. Only one new library needs to be installed along with the Java SE or ME installation, depending on the device.

quote:
So instead of relying on the browser to sandbox off JavaScript code, the applications use the security features in Java SE to control an application's hard drive access. Because it runs on the client and is not dependent on code sent over the wire, it also means applications written in AJAX, such as Google Apps, can be used offline.

http://www.internetnews.com/dev-news/article.php/3...

Parent

RE: Huh?

By Michael Hoffman on 5/9/2007 11:30:50 AM , Rating: 6

quote:
JavaFX Script is a simple scripting language designed to bring the benefit of the Java platform to creative professionals and web authors - independent of the device or audience they target. JavaFX Script adds to the list of languages already supported in the Java Virtual Machine, from PHP and Ruby, to Javascript and JavaFX Script - and brings the power, security and extraordinary popularity of the Java platform to those at the forefront of convergence: those defining interactive content for consumers.

http://blogs.sun.com/jonathan/ -- Jonathan Schwartz's blog. ;)

Parent

"It's like spinning a roulette wheel and putting multiple balls in it."

By crystal clear on 5/9/2007 8:38:00 AM , Rating: 1

quote:
Sun will make the JavaFX Mobile software available to the open source community, but will license it to phone carriers and phone manufacturers

If you ask why ? then Sun gives this response-

With the emphasis on free -- open source software and philanthropy -- the obvious question is how Sun plans to make money for shareholders. Schwartz told reporters that the world is divided into two camps: "Those that can and will pay for technology and those that cannot or will not pay for software," he said. Sun continues to aggressively pursue the former, while looking to the latter; particularly the billions of people who can't afford computers and mobile phones, to grow the technology market in the future.

JavaFX, particularly the new JavaFX Script, fits into that plan of growing the market by offering technology for creative professionals building user-facing software, not just hard-core developers building business applications to run on a computer server. "The goal of the development tools is to greatly increase the number of people building Java applications and then throwing them at everyone else to see what sticks," Dortch said. "It's like spinning a roulette wheel and putting multiple balls in it."

What about competetion-

The JavaFX bypasses traditional JavaScript languages as the counterpart to Ajax and functions similarly to Microsoft's Silverlight, and Adobe's Flash.

In addition, Java has had performance problems on mobile devices, while also facing competition from other technologies, such as Flex from Adobe Systems(ADBE), the Symbian operating system supported by Nokia and others, and Microsoft's Silverlight, released in beta last week. "Java has had lots of traction, but it also has what it didn't have before -- competition," Michael Dortch, analyst for the Robert Frances Group, said in an interview with InformationWeek.

About "T-shirt version of Steve Jobs."

True to character, McNealy couldn't help kidding his colleagues, telling Green that his black jeans and T-shirt made him look like a "T-shirt version of Steve Jobs." Jobs, chief executive of Apple, wears a black turtleneck during appearances at Apple conferences.

http://www.informationweek.com/news/showArticle.jh...