James Gosling: on the Java Road
Thursday July 31, 2008
The preview release of JavaFX is now available, along with libraries, samples, documentation and some early tools. If you like to make pretty things fly around on the screen, this is a pretty tasty piece of work. It really shows what Swing and Java2D can do. A pile of folks have been working hard on it for quite a while and have done a lovely job. Try it out and let us know what you think.
One of the cooler tricks is the approach to integration with Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator. These two popular tools have proprietary (deep dark secret) file formats, so importing them is problematic, but they do have extensive SDKs. So rather than building import filters into NetBeans we built export filters for the Adobe tools that generate JavaFX code (!) from the illustrations. It's then a clean process in NetBeans to add behavior to them.
Enjoy!
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Comments [11]
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So where is the download for Linux?! I am running Ubuntu exclusively and the download options do not allow for a linux archive download although I am running Netbeans 6.1 just fine..
Posted by Manfred Moser on July 31, 2008 at 11:43 AM PDT #
I also wonder about the download for linux.
Posted by Benjamin Ferrari on July 31, 2008 at 02:07 PM PDT #
That's a great think, but if i only can get it for Windows and Mac, it is disappointing. I am running OS X and Oracle-Linux, and i not only want to work on my OS X.
Posted by Oliver Bodemer on July 31, 2008 at 11:44 PM PDT #
Yes really cool stuff. :D
Posted by uzzal on August 01, 2008 at 03:22 AM PDT #
For the Linux/Solaris folks the easiest way is to have NetBeans 6.1 installed and there go to Tools --> Plugins and install from there (Beta Update Center).
Posted by David Strupl on August 01, 2008 at 04:20 AM PDT #
I wonder about the missing support for Linux and I also wonder about the missing support for Eclipse.
How wants SUN attract Java developers if it's not supporting their most beloved IDE?
Do people at SUN really think developers could such easily change their IDEs, when Oracle, BEA, IBM provide all their tools and IDEs based on Eclipse.
By the way, I tested the JavaFX + NetBeans 6.1 thing ... it's still far away from competing with the current Eclipse release.
Posted by Alexander Gruenewald on August 01, 2008 at 06:35 AM PDT #
Good stuff!
re: IDEs -- The first goal is to make JavaFX way better than Flex and SilverLight. Sun has control over NetBeans and can therefore add the tools into NetBeans as they choose. If other people want to add support for JavaFX into Eclipse that's cool, but for Sun to take it's foot off the gas would be a mistake.
Posted by John Wallace on August 01, 2008 at 10:58 AM PDT #
Well, I came and I didn't get it!
No linux? Then it's not for me! (I really was looking for the release, get my hands dirty on JavaFX, but it turns out to be a letdown)
Posted by Kees Kuip on August 01, 2008 at 04:41 PM PDT #
Yeah, I'm with the other whiners in this thread.
No Linux support: that's pretty disappointing...
Not the kind of thing you would expect from a technology that prides itself to be platform independent.
Posted by Jean Vermeer on August 02, 2008 at 03:08 AM PDT #
Yes, I concur... Extremely disgusted by the lack of support for Linux or Solaris. I'm not sure if Netbeans 6.1 -> Update Center is really the same or not. And it is certainly not listed in the announcement (where I also posted a few thoughts). And if it is actually the same then how come its not offered as one of the available platforms? This is a real disappointment after all of the Embracing of open source Jonathan has been trying to accomplish.
James, I thought you had switched from Java-bashing Steve's Apple platform to the open community's Solaris platform? I guess you didn't get to download it either...
I can't believe Apple would be embraced by Java developers at this point. After Steve bashed Java as worthless... Java developers using Macs instead of Linux... Java developers buying iPhones when they don't run Java...
And I remember at Java One this year when a fairly important person at Sun said they were using an iPhone as of that morning... Not without fully supporting Java and an apology from Steve I think...
Sincerely,
your dedicated Java developer
Posted by Geoff Ruscoe on August 02, 2008 at 04:50 AM PDT #
I'm also wondering when a linux port will be availabe... it's the only os I need at home...
but I tried on windows at the office and looks promising and awesome !!!
regards !
Posted by Aleix Marso on August 02, 2008 at 06:18 AM PDT #