A Desktop Java Renaissance
I finally got used to the new look of JavaLobby and am glad that the gliding nav toolbar stopped gliding. That's one of those features that seems glitzy but just ends up distracting the user. Anyways, I responded to two posts and found myself thinking... there is going to be a Desktop Java Renaissance.
Why so? Hasn't Microsoft frozen the JDK out of Windows? Sun has a workaround for that, with Java WebStart, the consumer-oriented Java.com, and the Java Auto Update system tray icon. Also, Java is installed by default on Mac OS X, SUSE Linux and Java Desktop System.
Doesn't Swing emulate everything and make your apps seem slightly out of place? Sun has improved the L&Fs of Swing in 1.4.2 and 1.5, but if those aren't native enough, you can use the Eclipse Foundation's SWT / JFace.
Are there any Desktop Application Frameworks, so I don't have to roll my own every time? Eclipse refactored the Rich Client Platform (RCP) out of itself, due to popular demand. Trivia: The RCP Birds of a Feather (BOF) session at EclipseCon 2004 was the most popular, leading people like myself to write my name sideways in the margin to jam myself in there. Thanks again to Ed Burnette for spearheading the RCP effort. If you'd rather use Swing (since RCP requires you use SWT / JFace), then you have Spring Rich or NetBeans to choose from as a framework. I'm interested in trying out Spring Rich and will share my experiences with you.
Are there any components available, ala Visual Basic or Delphi, to speed my development? In VB or Delphi, there's a large assortment of components that you can buy instead of build, which shortens your dev cycle. This has been lacking in the past. However, now there is a multitude of Eclipse plug-ins, most of which can be used in the RCP, with more being developed every day it seems. If that's not enough, you can even embed native components (like ActiveX on Windows or WebKit on Mac OS X) through either SWT or JDIC (which integrates well with AWT / Swing.)
What about Enterprise Java? Don't worry, that's still alive and well and thriving. Not only will J2EE focus on ease of development, but there are alternative frameworks like Spring.
The reason all of this is occuring is due to plain and simple market competition. Eclipse raised the bar when it came to look and feel and plug-in infrastructure, RCP on the framework side, and Spring on the enterprise side. Eclipse plug-ins started to multiply as the platform became more viable. While this can cause some divisions for those deeply invested in one specific technology, I think this is good for the Java community as a whole, because the choices this competition creates lets us developers decide our own fates. (And if our choice is open source, we can even contribute to the production and not just be a consumer.) All the pieces seem to be falling in place for a renaissance for Java on the desktop. Things should get even better, once Eclipse 3.1, with its extensive support for developing RCP apps, is released, its alternative Spring Rich matures, and as the plug-in market continues to grow.
Interesting developments to watch: There seems to be an effort to make RCP easier to install via either: 1. RCP support for Java WebStart or 2. natively compiling Eclipse / RCP apps.