New Desktop Features Of Next Java

bonch writes "Sun has posted the new desktop features of the next Java, codename Mustang. Improvements to Swing look and feel, OpenGL 2D renderer performance, AWT features such as the ability to add a tray/panel icon, and improved deployment capabilities."

Comments

It's worth noting...

[AKAImBatman]

...that mustang is also the first Java version to be developed under an Open Source type model. The CVS is open to guests over on http://www.java.net, thus allowing for immediate feedback and bugfixes. It has been a real boon for the gaming community, as they've been able to direct several key performance features.

Dear jFirstPostBot

[Letter]

Dear jFirstPostBot,

You would have succeeded, if only you had used the speedy next version of Java, codenamed Mustang.

Letter

SubPixel Rendering

[aCapitalist]

It looks like they've finally addressed this issue, but I think Sun is a little late.

Personally, I can deal with non-native look-n-feel, but when the fonts look like something circa 1988 on an Amiga, how can anyone take Swing seriously.

I never understood why they couldn't use platform specific code for fonts, and if not possible then go into fallback mode and paint everything themselves.

Swing has been a disaster. I believe it was the OTI guys (who now work on Eclipse and SWT) that told Sun not to go the route of "give me a handle to a brush and we'll paint everything ourselves", but some other group won that debate.

And thank god for .NET/Mono being around to give Sun a little kick in the rear to get moving on things.

What I'd like to see is

[ImaLamer]

Screenshots!

A story about desktops carry no weight with me unless there is pretty pictures.

Re:Java Desktop

[REggert]

I'm no Java fanboi, but these are some the classical advantages of Java over other languages:

• The compiled code is completely (well, almost) platform-independent, eliminating the need to port or even recompile code when moving between platforms. This can be especially handy for GUI's, as it gets around the problem of different windowing systems having their own mutually exclusive API's. Write and compile your interface once, and it can be run on any machine that has a JVM installed, whether it be Windows, Mac, XFree86, or whatever.
• It's ALMOST as fast (and in many cases just as fast) as C code. Additionally, it compiles much faster than C, though C binaries make up for it with substantially shorter load times (Java has been improving in this regard recently, however).
• The language is designed to avoid some of the "problems" in C and C++.
• Java provides free (in terms of effort) garbage collection, which (usually) prevents memory leaks.
• Java applets can run in web browser. This allows websites to provide visitors to their sites with custom mini-applications to provide various functionality or visual effects. One of the major benefits to this (especially when combined with the use of application servers) is that a large organization can install all their software in a central place and allow its users to access it from any machine just by using their web browsers.

There are others, but these are the ones that immediately come to mind for me.

I'm a C++ coder myself, but I do appreciate Java's value for certain situations.

Re:The look and feel of Swing.

[MassacrE]

Personally, I'd be happier if they completely dropped swing support on the Mac ,or at least removed aqua L&F.

There is a proliferation of really horrid java applications on the Mac because people don't understand that you cannot WORA and have GUI make sense. Users of different operating systems have different needs and expectations, even when they are equivalent 'types' of users with relatively equal computer experience.

From the article...

[kjeldor]

Where possible, we will add pointers

Wow, the beginning of that sentence sure scared the hell out of me. In my opinion, asterisks should be for multiplication only.

Re:Java Desktop

[DarkSkiesAhead]

Simple really-- some programmers are lazy. They can't be bothered with optimizing their code for individual platforms ... as soon as I find out something's written in Java I can immediately ignore it

Sorry, but that's a pretty ignorant attitude. Judging an application soley on being java-based is a poor method. Rather, you should ask if the developing language is appropriate for the task. If someone told me they wrote a graphically intense FPS in java I would be suspicious. But, if the app only needs to be light and portable java may be a good choice. It allows for very easy control of how the application looks on multiple operating systems. A good example of a nice-looking java app with no speed issues is Limewire. It runs quickly, works well and can be updated more efficiently than if they had used a graphical toolkit for python or C. Not that anything is wrong with chosing python or C either. It entirely depends on your application requirements and development resources. Brushing off all apps written for the JVM (or any development kit) will cause you to miss out on a good app sometime.