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Currently writing about iPhone Development, GWT, Ajax, Leopard, and Java.
Java 6 on Leopard: Developer Discontent
Tuesday, October 30, 2007
In my Leopard First Impressions post, I mentioned that Mac OS X 10.5 ships with Java 5, not Java 6. Sun released Java 6 almost a year ago, so this is generating quite a bit of angst in the Java developer community. Is Apple abandoning Java? Is it time to install Ubuntu? Should Duke sell his iPods?
In short, no. The same thing happened in 2003: Apple shipped OS X Panther with the old version of Java (1.3). A few weeks later, however, Apple released the latest Java (1.4.1) via a software update. I'd expect the same thing to happen in this case. Eric Burke created a nice timeline showing the history of Mac OS X releases, and he agrees: it's not time to panic, Java 1.6 is coming.
From a stroll through the Java developer blogs and mailing lists, there are roughly three areas of contention:
1. Java versions on Mac are always late
2. Steve Jobs said nobody uses Java anymore
3. Apple is too secretive towards developers
All are legitimate and longstanding critiques, but none have stopped me from developing Java on a Mac these past few years (and enjoying it!). Yes, Apple takes some time to release the latest & greatest versions - but coming from the world of application servers & corporate software, I'm used to being a version or two behind. Developing on Windows or Linux would let me use Java 6 right now, but I'm not willing to put up with the trade-offs.
From a consumer standpoint, I still love the fact that a modern version of Java is shipped with every copy of OS X and integrated with the software update system. It might be a version or two behind, but it's still light years ahead of the Windows world - I shudder to think what JRE is on grandma's Acer.
The Steve Jobs comment was in the context of supporting Java applets on the iPhone. Applets have been losing to Flash and Ajax for years. Server-side Java development, however, is alive and thriving - and I'm pretty sure they're aware of that in Cupertino.
The last issue, secrecy, is par for course with Apple. I haven't been following the release of information too closely this time. In general, though, most communication is reserved for ADC members and covered under a strict NDA. Apple & Microsoft take different approaches with developers: Apple gives away XCode and charges for information, while Microsoft gives away information and charges for Visual Studio. (But really, who's keynote would you rather watch?)
Leopard is a great developer's environment right now. When Java 6 is released, it will get even better.
In short, no. The same thing happened in 2003: Apple shipped OS X Panther with the old version of Java (1.3). A few weeks later, however, Apple released the latest Java (1.4.1) via a software update. I'd expect the same thing to happen in this case. Eric Burke created a nice timeline showing the history of Mac OS X releases, and he agrees: it's not time to panic, Java 1.6 is coming.
From a stroll through the Java developer blogs and mailing lists, there are roughly three areas of contention:
1. Java versions on Mac are always late
2. Steve Jobs said nobody uses Java anymore
3. Apple is too secretive towards developers
All are legitimate and longstanding critiques, but none have stopped me from developing Java on a Mac these past few years (and enjoying it!). Yes, Apple takes some time to release the latest & greatest versions - but coming from the world of application servers & corporate software, I'm used to being a version or two behind. Developing on Windows or Linux would let me use Java 6 right now, but I'm not willing to put up with the trade-offs.
From a consumer standpoint, I still love the fact that a modern version of Java is shipped with every copy of OS X and integrated with the software update system. It might be a version or two behind, but it's still light years ahead of the Windows world - I shudder to think what JRE is on grandma's Acer.
The Steve Jobs comment was in the context of supporting Java applets on the iPhone. Applets have been losing to Flash and Ajax for years. Server-side Java development, however, is alive and thriving - and I'm pretty sure they're aware of that in Cupertino.
The last issue, secrecy, is par for course with Apple. I haven't been following the release of information too closely this time. In general, though, most communication is reserved for ADC members and covered under a strict NDA. Apple & Microsoft take different approaches with developers: Apple gives away XCode and charges for information, while Microsoft gives away information and charges for Visual Studio. (But really, who's keynote would you rather watch?)
Leopard is a great developer's environment right now. When Java 6 is released, it will get even better.
