JavaFX: family values

At JavaOne this week Sun revealed a new family of tools that should further expand the pool of people writing Java code... by freeing them from the need to write Java code. JavaFX targets cellphone and other device app developers now held hostage to Adobe Flash or AJAX or contemplating using Microsoft's beta'd Silverlight or Google's anticipated whatever.

These people may be swimming in the shallow end of the pool, according to Cnet. JavaFX consists of a scripting language that generates bytecode to execute in JRE, plus a kernel and libraries for mobile phones and set-top boxes and the like.

Why? Clearly to challenge AJAX and Silverlight. But apparently why's not the question.

In his CEO blog this week, Jonathan Schwartz riffs on the what-it's-a-question-of theme introduced by Rich Green ("At this point, it is not a question of whether, but it is a question of how"). Jonathan's question isn't where, Jonathan tells us, it's when. Meaning that where you watch a movie or where an advertiser reaches you is less interesting than when. And this leads inexorably to the logical conclusion that we need a new platform for web authoring/cellphone development. Although I may have missed a step or two in the derivation.

Some were surprised. But now we know why Sun picked up SavaJe Technologies. Here's a diagram. And here's where to get involved.

Posted by Mike Swaine at 06:30 PM  Permalink