Appliweb

About Android,

We all know Android is getter bigger and bigger each day. More applications
(http://www.androlib.com/appstats.aspx), more phones
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Android_devices),
are coming each day, and this is growing exponentially.

I really enjoy this, mainly because:

• It’s an OpenSource platform
• Java is the main development language for it
• I don’t like Apple we-decide-everything-and-you-pay business model.

As you can see, in 2 years, Android has become  one of the main competitor in the smartphone market (along with Nokia, BlackBerry and Apple).

Now let’s talk about Java Mobile Edition

• It is the real winner for low-end phones
• In high-end market, only Nokia and BlackBerry supports it, and it seems you’ll have to use proprietary API for a good result.
• Evolution is too slow for mobile: Inside the JCP for JavaME, I’m sure there are lots of discussions between competitors companies, and that takes a lot of time.
• Who understands the MIDP/CDC/CLDC concepts (http://java.sun.com/javame/technology/index.jsp) ?

Oracle didn’t ask me, and I’m sure they have lots of smart people thinking of these facts, but that won’t prevent me from telling my opinion.

I know this is almost infeasible from a business and maybe technical point of view, but I think it would be a good thing if:

Android becomes the next Java ME !

And I mean, the last Android version, that takes shape rapidly in Google offices. Don’t try to take one version and go again with 3 year release schedules !

Let’s just imagine if Oracle (-and Nokia, and BlackBerry, and Sony-Ericssson, etc…) decided to follow Google on JavaME:

The not so good things:

• Oracle will loose control of mobile market software developement, but they are loosing it anyway, and I’m not sure they’re interested in it.
• Of course, Android is not just Java, but it’s a Linux OS too. And I think all the phone makers would have to switch to it too.
• And even if the language is Java, the JVM that’s running is not really Java… But who cares ?

The really good things:

• We would have a new release every 6 monthes, with the features of the latest phones !
• There would be as many hardware maker backing Java as a mobile platform
• Apple would have a run for their money – What a dream
• Java ME will be the coolest thing in mobile again !

Oracle, If you hear me, just think about this.

Gerard.

Hi,

I see all over internet that Adobe is going to sue Apple over their new licensing document, preventing Flash products to work on the iPhone / iPad / iTouch whatever. See here:

http://www.itworld.com/legal/104320/adobe-vs-apple-going-get-uglier

Two things comes to my mind:

- Why Oracle don’t do the same with Java mobile platform for iPhone ? Where is oracle fighting for Java mobile platform? I ask Oracle, because now they formally own Java now, But I have nothing against them. I would tell the same to SUN if it still existed.

- If the trial is taking place, and let’s say Apple loose, would that mean we can port Java to Apple’s stuff ?

GC.