JavaFX - Java Flash Wannabe - A Skeptic's View

I am seriously skeptic about JavaFX. I had earlier burned my hands by putting a big effort in SWING applications. I had developed first an IDE, which was quite ok as it was targeted at developer community. But when I developed a consumer p2p application with SWING, the application had serious performance issues. After a long while came SWT from IBM and there have been some successful apps based on Java/SWT for desktops. It took quite a long time for Desktop Java to reach the usability stage.

I had later ventured in J2ME. First for Games and then mobile information streaming. It was obvious to every serious developer in the J2ME domain that Flash/Scalable Vector Graphics is the way to go in mobile computing because mobile devices had non-standard screensizes and the only way to get write once run anywhere apps at least in mobiles was to go the Flash way.

SUN has taken so long to realize this. And the time of announcement is also bad as it immediately follows Microsoft Silverlight Announcement. It is going to take such as long time for JavaFX to be delivered that it would be dead on arrival.

It is not Flash/Silverlight that is going to kill JavaFX but Ajax/browsers. iPhone is not even going to include Java. All third party apps have to be through browser. Other manufacturers might also follow suit. While there is still some value proposition for JavaFX, SUN might have to deliver it right the first time itself, but History is not favourable to JavaFX.

Interestingly, if SUN is also adopting a scripting language to achieve write once run anywhere, then it is not Java which is going to fulfill this promise but JavaScript as it would be the basis for browser apps.

Flex to be open sourced

Adobe has announced that Flex would be open sourced. This is a good development for RIA Platform developers. It opens the Flash Platform and Apollo for developers.

Computing for the Next Billion

This is the World's PC Population Map . Following OLPC's plans, Microsoft has also announced that it is going to reduce the price of its windows and office software to just $3 in developing countries. With the emergence of UMPCs, Mobile Multimedia Computers (la Nokia) , Computing is set for another paradigm change. This shift, along with the Rise of Linux and other open source technologies, would provide new business opportunities for startups. So we are into interesting times again

Intel's MID UMPCs : Hello Linux

Before the ink has dried from my previous post, comes this surprising announcement from Intel that it is going to launch its own Linux powered mobile Internet enabled UMPCs.


I think that this announcement is as monumental as Dell's announcement of its intention to adopt Desktop Linux. As discussed in my earlier post, Linux could very well ride on UMPCs to gain significant market share from Microsoft. With Intel's support, Desktop Linux should aspire for more. Go Linux, Go.

UMPC and the future of Desktop Linux

Linux has been fighting an uphill battle with Microsoft for the Desktop. Dell's Linux Desktop could be a major success story of Desktop Linux. However, there is one key factor that is being ignored - UMPC.

With UMPC just emerging, it is the space were the next OS war would to be fought. Apple's own UMPC - iPhone has already got the Geek's mindshare. with Nokia, Samsung, As Motorola and all other device manufacturers are going to fight out for this market, UMPC margins are going to be very less and Microsoft's Tax could be a big burden for its adopters. So Linux should aspire to garner atleast 30% of the market along with Apple and Microsoft .

The UMPC consumers are be open to adopt new user-interfaces and concepts and most of these concepts would be extended back to the Desktop PCs as well. This can be observed from this concept video from Intel.



If this is true, a 30% marketshare in UMPC then could pave way for wider adoption of Desktop Linux as well.

From an alternate point of view, UMPC could also stiffle Desktop Linux because Linux is already many years behind (atleast Apple) in providing newer user experiences such as shown in the above video. As iPod success provided growth for OS-X, iPhone might multiply that effect by many factors in favor of Leopard because features such multi-touch could be extended from Leopard iPhone version to Leopard Desktop version.

Would UMPC make or break desktop Linux?

Spock - A Vertical Search for People

I believe that the web should be evolving to structure information about people, places, events, objects etc. which are first class linguistic elements. Any development towards this structuring would improve search by many folds.

Spock, A People Vertical search engine is to be launched to provide better information about people (which forms 30% of all searches).

Coop - Firefox to get Social Networking

It seems that Firefox team is planning to integrate the social networking features of Flock right into Firefox itself. With Mozilla Desktop, Offline feature and Coop, Firefox would become a much bigger platform than it is now, clearly trespassing Microsoft's territory. Is Firefox stretching too far?

Interestingly, COOP feature in Firefox would turn current websites into Web Services much like how google is a webservice in the current version. This line of thinking would lead us into accepting these new features are inevitable part of the web's evolution.