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The Return of the Java Client
Sun's Java 3D technology goes open source.
by Lee Sherman
JavaOne, June 29, 2004
Declaring that "Java is everywhere," Sun Microsystems President and COO Jonathan Schwartz strengthened Sun's commitment to open source and desktop technology, and introduced new tools and development programs designed to lower the bar for Java developers while simultaneously providing a richer user experience.
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Sun President and COO Jonathan Schwartz emphasized Sun's commitment to open source and desktop technology in Monday's JavaOne opening keynote.
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Schwartz's opening keynote at JavaOne featured Java running on everything from mobile handsets to automotive dashboards and medical equipment. Schwartz painted a futuristic sounding scenario that he said is here today, in which Java touches your life from your morning shave (Gillette tracks its razor blades through the supply chain using Java-powered RFD tags) through your morning commute (when your car takes you to your destination by means of a Java-powered navigation system) to the time you arrive at work (when your Java-powered smart card provides access to both your office building and the corporate network). "There are 17 billion devices attached to the network," he said.
Most of Java's success to date has been on the server side with J2EE, but with 350 million handsets and 600 million Java cards in use, Schwartz predicted the return of the Java client. "The desktop is coming back, and moreover Java is driving a big part of that evolution," he said. "It's been a tough road to hoe. The innovation that we see in every other corner of the network is now beginning to return to the desktop." As evidence of that innovation, Schwartz brought out Hideya Kawahara, the architect of Project Looking Glass, to demo Sun's next-generation 3D desktop. Kawahara kicked off his demo by contributing the underlying Java 3D technology to the open source community, promising to do the same with Project Looking Glass as soon as it is ready.
JavaOne attendees were treated to windows that exhibit transparency, rotation, and zoom, all thanks to the Java 3D Window Manager Platform API. The Project Looking Glass developer's release also includes the 3D Window Manager and Application Development API for building 3D desktop applications; the Native Application Integration Module, which allows X11 applications to run within the environment; a 3D Window Manager and 3D Environment; and a standalone environment for testing Java 3D API applications running on Linux and the Solaris OS.
Other improvements are designed to ensure that Java is better integrated with today's 2D desktop environments. JDesktop Integration Components (JDIC) complements the native look and feel for Windows XP and GTK introduced in the Java 2 Platform, Standard Edition (J2SE) 1.4.2 to ensure that Java applications provide a user experience consistent with the desktop. JDesktop Network Components (JDNC) provides a set of high-level user components with built-in networking and data-binding support that can be configured through XML. JDNC is part of Sun's efforts to continue to provide a richer Java client.
John Loiacono, Sun's executive vice president of software, introduced Sun Java Studio Creator, a visual development environment available today as part of a new subscription model for Sun developers. "Developers want something that is visual, simple, fast, and familiar," he said. Java Studio Creator is available for free with the purchase of a one-year Sun Developer Network standard subscription, priced at $99. The price includes code samples, tutorials, and access to an online community of Java developers. Java Studio Creator is available for Solaris, Windows, and Linux. Sun announced support for Mac OS X and the availability of an early access release of the Macintosh version. Sun also announced the Sun Developer Network professional subscription that includes additional premium content and support elements at a cost of $699 per developer per year.
About the Author
Lee Sherman is a contributing writer to Java Pro.
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