At the jax2004 conference, Erich Gamma talked about the next version of Eclipse and the overall Eclipse development strategy. With the release of version 3.0, Eclipse has established itself as the premier Java development environment. Eclipse is amazing since it works on multiple platforms and seamlessly creates a code, test, and debug cycle for Java applications. Eclipse can also be used to edit other types of files, however, I am not fully convinced about this since Eclipse's generic editing capability seems extremely limited when compared to an editor like JEdit. For instance, I like to write Shell scripts and Python files that are not well understood in Eclipse, but sits well with JEdit.

The other major event has been the release of Sun's three-dimensional (3-D) user interface (UI), code named Looking Glass. The application can be downloaded and installed on *NIX workstations. Those who do not have access to a *NIX workstation, or are wary of twiddling with the installation, can try the six-minute video demo.

Initially, I was quite skeptical of the 3-D UI and thought, "Oh gee! more spinning icons". However, I was very impressed with the running system and have realized how useful a 3-D interface can be. Even more impressive was the demo, since the demo machine had the correct hardware to support complex behaviors smoothly. As proposed, the 3-D user interface is a logical extension of the Apple OS X interface. I use an Apple OS X, and most UI actions are very logical and useful. For example, by pressing a combination keystroke sequence on the OS X machine, I can display all the windows on my desktop and select the one of my choice -- this is a quick way to find and select a window, faster than using a command bar like in Linux or Windows. Looking Glass extends this paradigm into a useful 3-D UI. It will be interesting to see how this project progresses.

The Looking Glass project is open source, and Sun is looking to garner the community's support in making this project successful. I have often been hard on Sun for certain decisions, but making Looking Glass an open source project and involving the community, has been a brilliant move. Now, instead of Sun working in a vacuum, the community will put its efforts into making Looking Glass work. And if it does not work, then most likely it would be because Looking Glass was not meant to be.

Looking Glass is hosted on the Java project Web site -- the Web site is a Source Forge type repository, except that all the projects are intended for Java developers. It includes a community, with Wiki pages and forums. It is definitely worth a look, especially for those who rely on Java components.

Recently, I read a post on Slashdot, which said that Sun had decided to rename the next version of Java to Java 5. At first, I thought it was a hoax or that I had misread something. However, the press release from Sun confirmed that Java has indeed jumped ahead to version Five.

From a Java user's perspective, it makes my head spin to think about Java 2 jumping from version 1.4.2 to version 5.0. This shows that marketing within Sun has taken over and that Sun is playing Version Lottery like many other companies. What bothers me about Version Lotteries is that it confuses users, and you do not know how 'new and improved', new and improved really is.

What also bothers me is that Sun is using Version Lottery to not make their environment seem as 'immature' as other runtimes that have higher numbers than 1.x. However, the flaw in this logic is that Java's competitors simply need to label their products 2006 and Java would be back to square one. Ideally, Sun should have been original about this and called it Java 2 ^ 5, which reads Java version 2 to the power of 5 or version number 32 -- at least then the version number would sound interesting. Imagine the marketing lines, 'Want the power of five? Get Java 2!' Na ja! life goes on I suppose!

Java and mobile computing could finally get on track as per this article at The Register that talks about how European Telco's are finally getting it 'right'. The article states that Java is being considered as the primary development platform. I like wireless because it is an interesting enabler technology that allows everybody to participate. However, the overpriced sales of 3G threw everything into limbo. Be warned, however, that the article is a bit misleading in its portrayal of facts; doing a search on mobile and java at news.google.com will return more information.

For example, the article states that Asia (Japan and South Korea, especially) has got it 'straight', while Europe has not. The problem with using Japan as an example of how it was done properly (with respect to mobile Internet) is that Japan has regulations that make French and German regulations seem like a walk in the park. When DoCoMo offered its Internet service at a low cost, people immediately jumped on it. What Europeans do not realize is that the Japanese jumped on mobile Internet because land based Internet was much more expensive and restricted. DoCoMo gave people, especially young people, a way to join the Internet revolution at affordable prices. The article also lists Vodafone and Orange as potentially successful European Telco's. Frankly, Vodafone is alright, but not exceptional, and Orange, while interesting, is extremely proprietary and was one of the first carriers to introduce a service pack for one of their phones.

The article also mentions how crucial Digital Rights Management (DRM) is. Hollywood needs DRM to ensure that movies or music can be streamed without fear of piracy. However, this does not seem feasible because a recent commercial, from one of the Telco's shows how to watch a streaming video on a tiny phone. What I do not buy about this commercial is that in an age where people prefer big screen TVs (with surround sound to boot), watching the same content on a tiny phone screen does not make sense.

I think there is a bigger reason why the Telco's need or want DRM. The ZDNet article (which talks about the Orange service pack update) also mentions that anybody could download content on a 'hacked' phone, and this seems to be the real reason why the Telco's want DRM. The Telco's want complete control over their networks, and my conversation with somebody at jax2004 confirmed that thought - the Telco's do not want a free-for-all (like the Internet) since that might affect their revenue - they would prefer to keep things as they are by imposing strict control and hefty access fees. This is a bit of a dampener, since one had hoped that the combination of Java and mobile phones would help to build truly global applications. What it means is that small developers, who are planning to make large sums of money from smart-phones, may do well to wait a little longer.

There is some relief though. Quite a few third-party sites, which distribute mobile software (for games, ring tones etc.) for a cheaper fee, have come up recently - Jamba! is one such site, and there are many such European sites in the offing. Since mobile users quite fancy ring tones and games (although they do not care about the underlying Java applications) such Web sites are quite profitable because the mobile developer has to rely on the presence of the third party that provide them.

One more thing before I wind up this column -- there is more movement from Sun to potentially open source Java. This debate has been raging on for the past month, and no one is sure if, or when, it will happen. For those who would like to follow the developments, I recommend keeping an eye on the jaxmagazine News, and Slashdot or OSNews.

Till Next Time...