Evolutionary Java – General Session

Evolutionary Java was a general session held at noon on the first day of JavaOne 2007. This general session delved into some proposed features for Java SE 7. Some proposed features for Java SE 7 include modularization which will introduce the concept of super package, new byte code and careful evolution of the Java language, and better support for multiple and dynamic languages in the JVM.

During this session there where more demos including one of JRuby on Rails running a standard Rails application, Mefisto. Tor Norbye gave a demo of the new JRuby/Rails support in a beta version of NetBeans with code completion, code highlighting, and wizards for creating new projects. There was a great demo of GL Studio for Java. Basically the demo mashed up Google Earth-like earth simulation provided by NASA Ames and DiSTI 3D models of a realistic F-16 jet fighter. One of the best demo was Iris, a Flickr mashup with some great eye candy.

There was an additional demo and information on JavaFX Script (JFX). JavaFX Script is an object-oriented programming language with a declarative syntax. Think of JFX as a mini-DSL for effects, animations, and rollovers for the JVM. JFX is a programming language especially designed for effects and animations. It is interesting to note that most of the demos of JFX are ports of Flash applications. A common questions amongst those present was, why introduce another language? Why not just a Java-based library?

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