Java Not Worth Building In

Steve Jobs with iPhone

“Java’s not worth building in. Nobody uses Java anymore. It’s this big heavyweight ball and chain…”

Those were the exact words of Steve Jobs in January of 2007.  You have to keep this statement in context.  Jobs was talking about the portable device market, and the desktop market.  In 2000, Jobs actually made a valiant effort of bringing Java to the desktop with the launch of Mac OSX.  The harsh reality for Java supporters out there is that software developers don’t want to write desktop application in Java.

I mean sure they want to write games, and small applications here and there, but for the most part now, desktop applications are ruled by C, C++, or .net.  For every one (1) Java application released, there are 10 .net, C, or VB applications released.

Java does have its place still in the enterprise market, but they have lost the desktop battle.  The only other “desktop-ish” battle they had a chance to win was the browser battle, but on that battle field, Flash is the master, hands down.  Adobe made a brilliant move in acquiring Macromedia.

When the iPhone is released at the end of the month, it will sport the most sophisticated, well thought user interface ever written for a portable device.  It will not run Java.  This will make the device a hundred times more stable as it will protect people from going to download badly written Java applications onto their mobile phones.  It will force anyone that wants to write an application for the iPhone, to go through Apple.  Here is where many will call fowl, however, I call “hurray!”.  It will start forcing application standards and performance requirements on people!  And this of course is only if Apple decides to open this up.  And they will, once they own the cell phone market and make it the platform for cell phones.

Listen to the D 2007 Conference and watch Steve and Bill chat.  Steve Jobs knows that the mistakes he made in the past were partnerships, or lack thereof. 

“We weren’t so good with partnering with people. Bill and Microsoft were really good at it.”

Look at facebook, they own the social network market (There are others, but for usefulness and most avid users, they win hands down), and have now opened up the development via the facebook API.  This was sheer genius on Mark Zuckerberg’s part!  This will surely catapult facebook into the stratosphere!  Steve Jobs will make the iPhone the cell phone.  Sure there will be others, but the iPhone will capture market share you would not believe when compared to other phones.

 

At the end of the day, people want great software that is fast, easy to use, and performs the way they expect it.  The iPhone will do this, as the iPod did. 

Now what if Apple decides to sell the iPhone “Operating System” to phone companies once they smell defeat…  This could be Apple’s chance to take a road that was once not taken, and saw Microsoft become what Apple could have been.

Top 10 Reasons Silverlight Will Change the Web

Silverlight

Microsoft Silverlight is a XAML based WPF technology for vector graphics, video, design, and development of applications for the desktop, as well as the web.  It is cross-browser, cross-platform browser plug-in that is less than 2 megabyte in size!  It will change the web as we know it, finally creating a feasible, professional platform for building the most rich user experience websites out there.  Silverlight is not a competitor to Flash as some would have you believe.  In fact, Silverlight and Flash work extremely well together!  Here are the top 10 Reasons Silverlight will change the web!

  1. Highest Quality Video Experience
    Prepare to see some of the best quality videos you have seen in your life, all embedded in highly graphical websites.  The same research and technology that was used for VC-1, the codec that powers BluRay and HD DVD, is used by Microsoft today with its streaming media technologies. Video overlays, custom menus, all become possible!
  2. Cross-Platform, Cross-Browser
    Finally build web applications that work on any browser, and on any operating system. At release, Silverlight will work with Mac as well as Windows!  The Mono project has also already promised support for Linux!
  3. Developers and Graphic Designers can play together!
    Developers familiar with Visual Studio, Microsoft.net will be able to develop amazing Silverlight applications very quickly, and they will work on Mac’s and Windows.  Developers will finally be able to strictly focus on the back end of the application core, while leaving the visuals to the Graphic Design team using the power of XAML.
  4. Cheaper
    Silverlight is now the most inexpensive way to stream video files over the internet at the best quality possible.  Licensing is dead simple, all you need is IIS in Windows Server, and you’re done.  Currently if you want to stream Flash video files, you would need to purchase Flash Media Server and license a few components.
  5. Support for 3rd Party Languages
    using the power of the new Dynamic Language Runtime, developers will now be able to use Ruby, Python, and EcmaScript!  This means a Ruby developer can develop Silverlight applications, and leverage the .net Framework!
  6. Cross-Platform, Cross-Browser Remote Debugging
    If you are in the need to debug an application running on a Mac, no problem!  You can now set breakpoints, step into/over code, have immediate windows, and all that other good stuff that Visual Studio provides.
  7. The best development environment on the planet
    Visual Studio is an award winning development platform!  As it continues to constantly evolve, so will Silverlight!
  8. Built to allow Mashups
    Microsoft spent a lot of time enabling Silverlight to easily consume web services, and easily consume various services and data from around the web.  Silverlight supports LINQ and LINQ-to-XML.  All of this data can be easily accessed via RSS, POX, REST, and JSON.
  9. Silverlight offers copy protection
    Have you noticed how easy it is to download YouTube videos to your computer, and save them for later viewing (If not, read here.)?  Silverlight will finally have the features enabling content providers complete control over their rich media content!  Streaming television, new indie broadcast stations, all will now be possible!
  10. Extreme Speed
    There is a dramatic improvement in speed for AJAX-enabled websites that begin to use Silverlight, leveraging the Microsoft .net framework.

Silverlight is the biggest launch since Microsoft .net 1.0.  My guess is a lot of people will take it as a Flash clone, and not understand its true power until it takes over the web.  This is not a Flash clone at all.  This is the new web development platform for a whole new era of Web Applications.

Worst Video Game of All Time

Simple post, simple question.  What is the worst video game of all time, and why?

The worst game by far for me was E.T.  What a piece of garbage. Terrible graphics, no point to the game, unless you like the idea of falling in ditches, and trying to get out with a stretch neck fun.  What was worse was if you didn’t time it right, you would fall back into the same hole.  Even worse, if you timed it right, you might still fall into the same hole, or find another hole that might be different!  You get the point? This game was actually so bad that I don’t think anyone has a copy of this game, I’m fairly confident if you didn’t return it to Atari, you must have burned it or smashed it into a million pieces.

That’s my worst game ever! Please use the comments below to post your worst game ever!  The best postings, and most quantity will make it in an upcoming Blog Entry, The Worst Vide Games of All Time! Post away, don’t be shy!

Web 2.0 Design Guides

Web 2.0

What is Web 2.0 anyway?  In reality, Web 2.0 is the second coming of web services that put an emphasis on collaboration and sharing between users of the systems.  Another clear aspect of Web 2.0 sites, although not mandatory, is the clean design of these sites.  Big clear buttons, less columns, extremely simple interfaces.  All this makes these applications much more user friendly and useful.  I was going to set out to write a Web 2.0 Design Guide, and I still might, however, based on some searching on the internet, I decided I would first compile a list of excellent resources you can already use today!  Please comment below on your favorites, and any other additional resources you would like to see!

Anyway, this list should get you started on the path to Web 2.0 greatness.  From the overall, to how to actually make the buttons, all is covered in the links above.  Hope this helps you on your quest to enhancing your web sites!  Ok, time to get back to my Wii, I’m approaching pro status on boxing!

Software Development Events to Attend in 2007

Lets face it, the year is almost done.  Although I did get out and do a lot of traveling, I wanted to make sure I would not miss the major events of the year in 2007.  Therefore, I have made a list of the top Technology Conferences to attend in 2007!  I will be attending all of these conferences as we slowly reveal what the heck Anvil Digital has been developing for the last two years.  Feel free to add conferences you feel are full of passion, knowledge, and great networking by placing comments below!

  • Web 2.0 Summit (November 2007)Software Development
    The Web 2.0 Summit focuses on emerging business and technology developments that utilize the Web as a platform and defines how the Web will drive business in the future. Now that the Web has become a robust platform with countless innovations driving its ongoing development, widespread disruptions in traditional business models are well underway. But within the chaos of disruption lies the seeds of opportunity. We’ll focus on the startups and financiers tending those seeds, of course – including the second annual Launch Pad. But we’ll also highlight how the incumbents are also taking advantage of disruption, or, at the very least, how they are responding to it so as to protect their market positions.
  • Mix (April 30 – May 2, 2007, Las Vegas Nevada)
    Software DevelopmentMIX is Microsoft’s premiere conference for web developers, designers and business professionals. MIX07 will explore the next generation web technologies that help businesses unlock new revenue opportunities and lower development costs. MIX is a forum for discussing ways to bring technologies such as ASP.NET AJAX (“Atlas”), Windows Presentation Foundation/Everywhere (WPF/E), Media Center Edition, Internet Explorer, and the Expression suite, together in a way that enables developers and designers to deliver rich web experiences that drive business results.
  • TED – Technology Entertainment Design (March 7 – 10, 2007, Monterey California)Software Development
    TED2007 will be different. Instead of a subject-matter theme, we are simply going to put on stage FIFTY REMARKABLE PEOPLE… …and let them share whatever it is they are passionate about. This, of course, is what TED has always been about. Bring together extraordinary people from every area of thought, work and culture, and lo and behold, astonishing connections are made, excitement and inspiration follow.
  • Tech-Ed (June 4 – 8, Orlando Florida)
    Software Development Regardless of whether you service an IT infrastructure or write code, you’ll want to be at Tech·Ed 2007. Discover the tools, information, and resources you need to better manage your company’s infrastructure or develop new applications using current and upcoming products from Microsoft and our industry partners. You can personalize a Tech·Ed program to help you do what you do better.
  • PDC (September 2007)Software Development
    Although not confirmed, there are some rumblings of .net 3.0, in which case, it could happen.  PDC’s only occur when Microsoft has a significant software development announcement to make. At the last event, Bill Gates discussed advances in the Windows Vista operating system and the next version of Microsoft Office – code-named Office “12″ – during his keynote address at the Microsoft Professional Developers Conference, Los Angeles, Calif., Sept. 13, 2005.
  • DreamForce (October 2007)
    software development Be the first to hear the latest industry updates at Dreamforce! This year’s conference features an incredible array of executives and visionaries who’ll give you an insider’s view on the future of business and technology. Whether you’re looking for trends, cutting-edge tools, mobile advancements, or more, we’ve got you covered.
  • Inforum (September 2007)Software Development
    Amidst the buzz of the Las Vegas Strip, at the Sands Expo, Infor will host key speakers, breakout sessions, roundtable discussions and a full-blown technology expo as a forum to exchange ideas, share knowledge and strategies to overcome the essential challenges customers like you face in manufacturing and distribution.  If your company focuses on the manufacturing sector, and even supply chain, this is the conference for you!  Infor is now the third largest supplier of ERP Solutions, just behind the big two.
  • VSLive! (March 25 – 29, 2007, San Francisco)
    Software Development You know that VSLive! provides the best mix of pragmatic, useful information, plus the context to understand where technology is headed. With Vista about to ship with .NET 3.0, our focus on giving you insight to help you do your job will be doubly important next year. Come to VSLive! San Francisco to put all of the pieces together – from Ajax to Vista, from ASP.NET to UI design, and from data access to .NET 3.0 fundamentals.
  • Software Development MITX Awards (November 7th, 2006)
    The MITX Awards is the largest and most prestigious awards competition in the country for technology innovations and celebrates the best creative and technological accomplishments emerging from New England.

  • JavaOne (May 8 – 11, 2006, San Francisco)
    software development JavaOne is an annual conference (since 1996) put on by Sun Microsystems to discuss Java Technologies, primarily among Java developers. JavaOne is held at the Moscone Center in San Francisco, California usually between April and June and typically runs from Sunday to Friday. Technical sessions on a variety of topics are held during the day. In the evening, Birds of a Feather (BOF) sessions are held at the Moscone Center and surrounding hotels. BOF sessions allow people to focus in on a particular aspect of Java technology.

 

These are the hottest Software Development events you will want to attend in 2007!  Please let me know if there are others we should be attending, or that you would like to see on the list!

Also, don’t forget to vote for this software development article on dzone!  If you haven’t seen dzone yet, check it out!