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JavaOne 2011 Wrap Up

10 October 2011 2 comments

11 minutes

2354

Wow! What a week it has been in California at JavaOne.

[FULL VERSION – After the crash of flaming Microsoft Live Writer, I recovered and improved this blog entry.]

 

JavaOne 2011

View from Hotel Nikko upper level looking down on the Mason Street Buzz Cafe, Chill Out Area

The biggest news of the event were the announcement of the JavaFX 2.0 release, and the new initiatives for Java EE 7 taking it to the Cloud. I spent most of my time schedule at the JavaFX 2.0 sessions, I did however hope over to see a number of the Java Performance tuning talks. I went on the Monday to Charlie Hunt’s talk on the JVM HotSpot Optimisation flags and also to Sunny Chan’s Performance Tuning for Low Latency. There was also a JavaFX performance tuning talk.

JavaOne 2011 was a very busy schedule, there is also some session that I wanted to go to, especially on Monday, when my talk on Progressive JavaFX 2.0 was scheduled. The conversations with people in the hallway were also a highlight.

 

Progressive JavaFX Talk

I know a number of you are waiting for my slides. I gave to the audio/visual guy at the event, but I still publish improved slides here and probably on Slide Share or the other presentation online service. The code example will be tidied. I have a couple days more in California,  before I fly back to the UK. Meanwhile, I am currently still processing some additional ideas for my Progressive JavaFX talk on Thursday 13th, Oracle Redwood City Shore office at the Silicon Valley JavaFX User Group. Stay tuned.

 

JavaOne 2011

[R] Dave Booth with Zero Turnaround’s Duke Award

 

JavaFX 2.0

 

Oracle have listened to the JavaFX community by making a public commitment to release the entire runtime, components and library as an open source project. It is currently documented in the JavaFX Roadmap. I believe this is a fantastic result, and shows that Oracle can be trusted to deliver software when they say it is going to be delivered. This is different mantra, business operation to Sun Microsystems, who would write these fabulous JavaOne demonstrations that were so wonderful, the early rich client Java2D / AWT example of the Flickr client, springs to mind (circa 2006) and then would never release the code, or do anything production with it.

Consider the mess that is Microsoft Silverlight, which is the alternative rich user interface technology aimed for the Dot Net platform. Scott Barnes was quite scathing in his blog entry about being one of SliverLight’s original custodian. Seriously, I am very pleased that I did not fly all the way to California, to the Oracle Java mecca conference and hear that JavaFX is dead. You do not know how happy I am.

I was even more pleased to see JavaFX running, albeit with no performance or production worthiness on the Apple iPad and Android device.

 

 

JavaOne 2011

[L] Adam Bein, Java Champion and author of Java EE 6 Night Hacks

 

I was quoted by Cay Horstman [of Core Java book fame] on the Java.net Day 4 blogging of the JavaOne 2011. Yes it is true that many years ago, Chris Oliver’s pet project, Form-Follows-Function was complete open source and so much so that a [unknown] community member did port to Android 1.x in 2008. Sun Microsystems brought the door on the runtime and controls, but kept the compiler outside and open. This is the reason that Stephen Chin and Eric Smith can continue its legacy with Visage.

 

Java Futures JDK 8 and JDK 9

 

I thought that the Mark Reinhold announcement of JDK 8 moving to 2013 and that Oracle should be aiming for more realistic two year cycle to be admirable.  In the past, JDK release have slipped beyond the eighteen months to years.

Mark Reinhold did mention that it leaves more time, if possible, for JVM convergence. In particular, if Java is going to taken serious on more than just the Desktop Profile, then the SE (Standard Edition) badly needs the following sensor API added:

  1. Multi-touch screen
  2. Global Position System
  3. Magnetometry
  4. Linear Motion and Acceleration
  5. Digital Camera support
  6. Multiple display screen resolution, orientation and capabilities
  7. Bluetooth
  8. Universal Serial Bus

If Oracle and more importantly OpenJDK project can deliver the first four then we are good. All of the above would be fantastic. Also remember that the JDK 8 is going to be modularised, the benefit being that this fictional “sensor” module can be split into high level and low level.

 

 

JavaOne 2011

[L] Jim Weaver and [R] Johan Vos

 

The other parts of JDK 8 for me personally were less interesting. We all know that JDK 8 will bring Lambda functions and expressions; and Jigsaw. These are huge changes and it is important that the OpenJDK team member cook and brew a soup that we can all manage.

Many leading Java engineers, developers and designers in the community have looked beyond Java the programming to alternative JVM languages, some have been writing business applications in this mode, already, for several years. Consider this, that a so-called closure written in Scala, is a completely different implementation to one written in Groovy, and to one written in Clojure. Also note in the latter that I crossed the line between a static compiled language and a dynamic language. It might pay the OpenJDK members and                                                            a note to look at the various alternative JVM language implementations. Of course, Brian Goetz, probably is already doing, with Alex Buckley, because the new Lambda design reflects warmly on the Scala function object syntax.

Mark Reinhold indicated that a possible implementation of Lambdas in JDK8 looks like it can written as Method Reference Handles and therefore may make use of Dynamic Invocation byte code. 

Sadly, I did not personally attend as many Core Java talks as I wanted to. The one I did attend were on Java performance tuning.

 

Java EE 7 and Movement to Cloud

 

I think that it is great that Java EE 7 is moving to be Cloud computing and also amusing that I remember an old JavaOne keynote of Sun Microsystem’s earlier paid for utility computing cycle project  (the now defunct Sun Grid project).

Cloud computing is now no longer a laughing matter. It is big business and all of the major players in the market offer means to allow a Java engineer to write applications to deployed on proprietary cloud products.

The ideas for Java EE 7 means bringing multi-tenancy, provisioning and configuration to many traditional Java EE APIs. It is a whole new world.

JavaOne 2011

[R] Sunny Chan from the Hong Kong Java User Group at his Performance Tuning talk

 

Java EE 7 needs a many leading cloud providers to collaborate on the standardisation to be really successful. Developers are already happy to code a specific vendor and platform, for example the Google App Engine or Microsoft’s Azure or Amazon EC2, so break this cycle now may be asking a little too much. More importantly, business have already chosen a cloud provider, because of consumer demand far exceeded the traditional clustered solutions. My fear is that ultimately Java EE 7 is that the cloud API do not cover enough standardisation for the big users, e.g. a Netflix and the range of APIs are too weak.

If we can consolidate the vesting interest of vendors, then Java EE 7 could be successful de-facto standard for Platform As A Service.

 

What Are My Favourite Things About JavaOne 2011?

 

JavaOne 2011 was more successful than last year, because the many of the track sessions were grouped to the hotel. For the performance tuning and Java EE talks were in the Hilton and the JavaFX rich user interface talks were held in the Nikko hotel.

 

JavaOne 2011

Interested and serious look into the camera from [R] Dean Iverson and Stephen Chin [L] is gesticulating at the ScalaFX code on the slide

I also liked the hang space outside the sessions. This was a great idea, to sit or to stand and just chat to the interested. The orientation helpers also on the first day or two were priceless in a couple of occasions. I felt that I got to know some of the conference organisers and session door staff, because the JavaFX talks were co-located into the Nikko hotel. I do not know if this was the same experience for the Java EE speakers.

Audio / visual systems worked out quite well. Sound issues were a rarity. Projection of the slide deck was mostly clear.

At JavaOne 2010 conference, delegates were confused by the opening keynote that took place at Moscone. For this year’s conference, the keynotes were held in Hilton. The decision to clearly separate the operations of JavaOne and Open World was a great one. I noticed quite a few delegate had signed up for both conference, so I wonder how did that experience of double amount of sessions feel for them?

The sponsor partner keynotes left a lot to be desired, especially the Juniper Networks talk, which mention absolutely nothing about Java for 30 minutes. The Twitter and ARM guest invites left a good impression to me. If you are CTO, or even a CTO of Java strong related business then may be you should be approaching Oracle to do a keynote. Has nobody attempted to turn the table around with configuration?

Much better were the community keynotes and mini ones that took place on the last day of the conference. Making Sharat Chandler an honorary member of the Java Posse was a fun bit of the Thursday key note.

Stop Press: Oracle announced a deal where there will be 200 JavaOne 2011 talks featured on Parley over the next 12 months. The first 20 talks were immediately announced and available on Parleys.

 

What To Improve at JavaOne 2011?

 

The only speaker room in the Hilton Hotel was abysmally tiny compared to one that used exist in Moscone Centre. I am glad I did not have to depend on it all. I went back to my hotel or found an hang space. I was unhappy with the size of it and the lack of coffee and refreshments.

 

JavaOne 2011

The lovely [L] Eileen Bugee, who is wearing a very "blingey" JavaFX tee-shirt and of course [R] Jasper Potts talking about Pixel-perfect Design in JavaFX 2.0

Some of the branding of occasion, JavaOne 2011, in the sessions room could be improved. In the photographs that I took of presenters, there were some unsightly areas, maybe I am a perfectionist, it could be a little tidier there. I do think this has to with hotel facilities and management so may be there not an awful lot that Oracle can do.

 

JavaOne 2011

A JavaOne attendee taking a call in the upper level of the Nikko Hotel looking over Mason Street. "Well honey, I have to work today … just taking time out of the sessions …"

Rocking

 

JavaOne 2011

[L] Ixchel Almiray and [R] Andres Almiray, what a lovely couple!

 

The open space on Mason Street was initially a great idea I thought and then it rained. The tents need to be a larger. My photograph from Nikko looking down showed many delegate actually taking a breather in the open area. The tents just need to be large and more extensive covering around to afford a good chill area.

I would double the size of the Buzz Cafe House, because the queues were two long to get a decent Cappuccino.

 

JavaOne 2011

[R] Andres Almiray, I finally meet up and talk about Griffon. He was demonstrating Griffon and the Scala plug-in

The Wi-Fi worked most of the time, and it was really good that it was wide ranging. There were some DNS lookup errors, but nothing like some of the horrendous experience in the past.

Conference builder app for the iPhone / iOS devices worked reasonably well. Except when you couldn’t get service on line, or perhaps as a speaker you disable your mobile phone, then the app make a synchronisation to the server. If this communication is lacking then your app is out.

At least with the schedule builder application online one can export the sessions into a private calendar. The builder was much better than last year model, which was then unusable.

It would be great to have the Moscone Center back, may be the West Moscone.

 

The Shout Outs

 

I believe Oracle have delivered on their promise to move Java forward. The good times are ahead of us once more, so use it or lose it.

 

In no particular order:-

  • Stephen Chin
  • Jim Weaver
  • Eric Smith
  • Kirk Pepperdine
  • Adam Bien
  • Simon Ritter
  • Stuart Marks
  • Ixcel Almiray
  • Andres Almiray
  • Dick Wall
  • Joe Nuxoll
  • Tor Norbye
  • Karl Quinn
  • Joe Sondow
  • Federick Simon
  • David Booth
  • Jim Clarke
  • Cay Horstman
  • Keith Commbs
  • Sandra Iverson
  • Dean Iverson
  • James Ward
  • Stephan Janssen
  • Johan Vos
  • Jo Voreendeckers
  • Dan Hardiker
  • Gerritt Grunwald
  • Rags
  • Nicole Scott
  • Yolande Poirier
  • Sonya Berry
  • JDuchess team
  • Clara Ko
  • Regina ten Bruggencate
  • Charlie Hunt
  • Sunny Chan
  • Eileen Bugee
  • Jasper Potts
  • Richard Bair
  • Nicolas Lorain
  • George Saab
  • Martin Gunnarson
  • Par Sako
  • Arun Gupta
  • Bruno Souza
  • Martjin Verburg
  • Dierk Koening
  • Chris Phelps
  • Carrielyn Weber Hamann
  • Max Bohnbel
  • Lori Kammer
  • John Petersen
  • Dale Davenport
  • Daniel B Sline
  • Michael Heinrich
  • Tori Wieldt 
  • Mike Lewin
  • Justin Kestelyn
  • Kevin Rushford

and please forgive me if I have missed out anybody.

 

 

Java Champions

Java Champions Logo on Fleece

We are the Java Champions

Clearing Up Controversy

 

I am aware of some controversy around alleged sexism comment by Adam Bien, a fellow Java Champion of note. This was not the case at all. Actually, Adam, was misquoted, actually he said, “My first version of this [talk] was try to explain to a women. This almost got me thrown out of a couple of conferences. What this meant was I try to explain it to an alien … just forget everything you know”. Adam comes from Germany and was speaking in English as a foreign language. My German is pretty rusty, it would be a challenge, now, to give a presentation in German as it is a foreign language for me. I think Adam’s words and his expression were lost in translation, but his meaning is quite clear, and he is not a bigot in any form. Judge for yourself by listening to the first 3 minutes of Adam’s talk Rethinking Best Practices with Java EE 6.

2 Comments

  1. Great post, Peter! See ya @ Antwerp

    Comment by Fabrizio Gianneschi — 05 November 2011 @ 6:37 pm

  2. Your most welcome Fabrizio. Look forward to meeting you in Antwerp for Devoxx 2011

    Comment by Peter Pilgrim — 06 November 2011 @ 8:13 am

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