Tuesday October 02, 2007
Consumerizing Java on the Desktop
Filed under: consumerjre javafx
Heard the early roll of thunder about a project called the 'Consumer JRE' last JavaOne ?
Yesterday it came a step closer to reality: We've released an early access version of an major update to the Java Runtime Environment (JRE) on Windows platforms, specifically focusing on features of the JRE needed by consumer content.
(You may have noticed we're pretty into that these days, and there'll be much more on that over the coming months.)
We're calling this JRE 'Java SE
6 Update N' (just don't get me started on why).
This is an Early Access version. Did I mention that already ? Early
Access means that its not finished yet:
we have more features to add, and more work tuning the ones that are
there. In particular, we haven't yet added the JavaKernel
work, which
radically slims down the initial download of the JRE (you will notice
this EA is still a substantial download). Also, we haven't done nearly
as much testing on
it as we will before its finished, but we figured we'd get it out
there. We have a massive test framework for Java SE these days, but
none so large as all the Java desktop applications written since 1996.Here's what's in and what's not in it:-
| Feature |
Is
it in this Early Access Version ? |
What's
that for ? |
| Java
Quickstarter |
Yes
! |
Making
applets and applications start really quickly, first time Java is
launched. |
| Deployment
Toolkit |
Yes
! |
Applets
can tell which version of the JRE is on the machine they just landed on. |
| Hardware
Acceleration |
Yes
! |
Faster
rendering of Swing apps, especially ones using features like
translucent windows, using Direct3D on Windows |
| Nimbus
Look and Feel |
Yes
! |
A
refreshing new look and feel to add to your choices - check it
out here. |
| Java
Kernel ? |
No,
but coming soon in the JRE ! |
Modularizing
the JRE into a small initial download, the rest coming down in parallel. |
| New
APIs ? |
No
new APIs. |
This
is our implementation of the Java SE 6 platform.
So there won't be any new developer APIs until Java SE
7 is done. |
There've been a variety of reactions already about this already. Try it yourself and let us know, but you may need paper tissues handy ;).
Posted by dannycoward ( Oct 02 2007, 05:12:15 PM PDT ) Permalink Comments [4]
