Sun Microsystems this week demonstrated the latest test version of JavaFX, an online applications environment scheduled to ship this fall, followed by a mobile version next year. An important component will be On2 Technologies’ TrueMotion video codecs, officials at the JavaOne conference said.
The basic idea is to make Java programs, which use the write-once, run-anywhere approach, more available for mobile devices without sacrificing on features or performance compared to desktop computers and application-specific appliances. But Sun faces tough competition from similar developer tools at Adobe and Microsoft.
Also at the conference, Sun debuted a preview version of GlassFish Enterprise Server Version 3 and GlassFish Communications Server. GlassFish is an open-source applications server; the communications version borrows from Ericsson technology and focuses on session initiation protocol applications such as VoIP. It is expected to ship this fall, Sun officials said.
Other sessions focused on Java running on Google’s Android mobile operating system, user interfaces based on haptics, location-based services, mobile game development and, of course, open-source software.