We live in a world today where anyone and anything can be connected and where technology has become so intertwined with our daily lives that we can no longer fathom a life without it.
The traditional boundaries of information and media no longer exist and we are all part of a consumer driven society.
Speaking at the official opening of JavaOne 2008 Tuesday, Rich Green, executive vice president of Software at Sun noted that we, the digital consumers of today have taken it into our stride to choose what technologies we want and produce content that we are interested in.
This revolution has opened up many opportunities for Java developers to create a range of rich, interactive applications that consumers crave on all the “screens of your life” i.e the various devices we use today such as mobile devices, PCs, automobiles, and television.
"Consumer demand is where the action is and with 2.2 billion mobile devices and 91 percent of all desktops, Java technology has become a constant digital companion, playing an essential role in everyday life,” said Green.
“Java technology is now ready for the new creative audiences that have emerged in response to consumer demand for rich content - scripters, social application creators, designers, content authors and consumers who will join the Java ecosystem of more than six million developers to take Java technology in exciting new directions."
This notion tied it well with the conference’s theme this year which is “Java+You” where the “you” captures both developers and consumers of rich Internet applications (RIAs).
According to Sun, the conference celebrates developers, who have been building Java technology's momentum from the beginning and those who are joining the ranks to help take the platform into new directions whilst at the same time celebrating consumers who use Java technology every day and are driving increasing demand for new and innovative types of applications and devices that the Java community creates
In his keynote, Green also gave the audience an update on JavaFX, a new component it introduced at JavaOne last year.
The JavaFX family of products, which includes JavaFX script, JavaFX Desktop, JavaFX Mobile and JavaFX TV, aims to empower developers with the option to generate revenue through advertising on mobile applications.
The audience was offered a first look at some of the newest creations powered by JavaFX. One of the demonstrations from the Connected Life illustrated how RIAs can be created across multiple screens by delivering applications across a Web browser, social network, desktop operating system and a mobile phone.
Sun CEO Jonathan Schwartz then made an appearance and picked up from where Green left off. He stressed that the interactive web revolution is here and with users continually consuming and demanding digital content more than ever, developers are working in tandem to create suitable RIA content and Java is the ideal platform to support this.
And to prove just how ready it is, Sun attempted to seduce its audience with attention-grabbing Java powered applications that one could look forward to in the future.
Green invited on stage Ian Freed, vice president of Kindle at Amazon who demonstrated the Amazon Kindle e-book reader powered by Java. The wireless device downloads and displays various types of literature such as newspapers, magazines and novels available at Amazon.com.
Rikko Sakaguchi, senior vice president at Sony Ericsson, then came on to discuss the role Java technology plays in Sony Ericsson's digital lifestyle initiative and in its leading consumer products such as the new Sony Ericsson K850i mobile phone.
However, it was Neil Young’s entrance that commanded the most fanfare. The rock legend expressed his excitement over the combination of Blu-ray and Java technologies and announced that he is working on a career restrospective archive project and multiple Java powered Blu-ray Disc packages that will be released by Reprise/Warner Bros. Records.
Now, in its 13th year, the annual JavaOne conference brings together a global community of some 15,000 developers, students, bloggers, social media, Web 2.0 companies and blue-chip businesses along with more than 135 exhibitors from 65 countries together to share the power of Java technology.
The event is being hosted at the Moscone Center in San Fransico, California from May 6-9 2008.
Watch this space for more JavaOne 2008 news updates! |
