Sun tries again with consumer-flavored Java
Sun Microsystems on Tuesday will introduce a friendlier way to write Java applications for consumer devices, an attempt to fulfill Java's potential and stake a greater claim in the next generation of Web applications.
Context & Ripple Effects
Sun had already signaled a broader Java strategy through its 2006 promise to open-source Java. JavaFX turns that effort toward the consumer-facing application layer, where Sun is explicitly challenging Adobe Apollo, Ajax and Microsoft's Silverlight.
The move matters because Java's reach alone does not settle the contest for Web applications: Sun is making ease of development and richer interfaces part of its pitch to developers building for connected devices.
First-order effects
- JavaFX gives Java developers a friendlier toolset for consumer-device and rich Web applications, expanding Sun's role from Java runtime steward to application-platform supplier.
- Adobe Apollo, Ajax-based development and Microsoft's Silverlight beta gain a named Java-based rival for developer attention in rich Internet applications.
Second-order effects
- Sun's developer ecosystem must compete on the speed and simplicity of creating polished client applications, rather than relying solely on Java's installed reach.
- Companies choosing rich Web application platforms face a more direct Java-versus-Adobe-versus-Microsoft decision, tying interface tooling to their underlying runtime choice.
Third-order effects
- If platform vendors keep bundling runtimes with higher-level design tools, rich Web application competition will be organized around developer ecosystems rather than standalone programming languages.
The trend: JavaFX is one data point in the shift from general-purpose runtimes toward integrated rich-application platforms aimed at winning developers and consumer endpoints.