December 4th, 2008
Schwartz: Three reasons you need JavaFX
[Ed] Q. Over time, should we expect to see a de-emphasis of regular Java APIs like Swing in favor of JavaFX?
[Jonathan] No, because there is no one hammer for all nails. We’re interested in trying to serve as diverse and as rich a set of developers as possible. Some of our developers don’t care about user interfaces at all, others believe everything needs to be based on JavaScript, and others want a more robust or interactive 3D interaction environment. So we want to appeal to them all; we don’t want to try to dictate the answer to all their problems.
[Ed] Q. JavaFX was developed outside the JCP/JSR process. Does Sun still believe in the JCP like it once did?
[Jonathan] We believe in the JCP as a vehicle for establishing standards. The JCP, given its very nature, has been a tough place to innovate. So, we’re going to certainly work with other JCP members on trying to build standards around the innovations that we’re all creating. I mean, all the members of the JCP are very innovative inventive companies. I think the JCP is best seen as a means of establishing standards rather than a means of kind of up-ending history with disruptive innovations.
[Ed] Q. What’s the take-away message for developers regarding today’s launch?
[Jonathan] The take-away message for developers is two things: First, the proof is in the pudding. Go download NetBeans with the new JavaFX and go give it a whirl, and you’ll get a sense pretty quickly for what you’re able to do that you wouldn’t be able to do with other technologies or even with the historic Java platform.
The second message is a different one for developers, one I think that many have already picked up on in the past few years, which is: Audience is everything. You have to own your own audience if you want to own your own business. Browsers have become hostile, I don’t think that’s news, and the Java platform with JavaFX specifically enables you to own your own audience. To the extent you want to build your own social network, you don’t want to have to navigate through someone else’s default settings to build an audience. Whether you’re building a new network service, a new social service, or a utility service, owning your own audience is core to creating opportunity and that’s what we want to enable developers to do.
Next: Will we see it on the (fill in your favorite device here)? >
Ed Burnette is a professional developer and author of several articles and books about computing including Hello, Android: Introducing Google's Mobile Development Platform, 2nd Edition. For disclosure of Ed's industry affiliations, click here or to view his full profile click here.
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| 12/05/08
