Triangle Java Users Group Presents:

Java FX Script and Consumer JRE: Towards easier
development and deployment of Java applications

presented by Raghavan 'Rags' N. Srinivas and Ethan Nicholas

Monday, September 17, 2007
6:30 PM - 9:00 PM

4001 E. Chapel Hill-Nelson Highway
Research Triangle Park, North Carolina

Abstract:
Java SE is on over 90% of desktops and Java ME is on over 90% of mobile phones. Java is also making a big dent in the consumer space such as set top boxes, Blu Ray Disc players and so on. Although Java client technology is ubiquitous, consumer applications are not because development and deployment for consumers is still too hard.

This session starts with an introduction to GUI development with JavaFX Script, an object-oriented, declarative Java scripting language. JavaFX Script is a statically typed language that allows good integrated development environment (IDE) support and compile-time error reporting. It has type inference, declarative syntax, and automatic data binding with full support for 2-D graphics and standard Swing components as well as declarative animation.

JavaFX Script attempts to demonstrate that we're not exploiting the full capabilities of the Java platform for GUI development and that, together with supporting tools, the Java platform is highly competitive with or superior to competing GUI development platforms such as Adobe Apollo, Ajax/DHMTL Macromedia Flash/Flex/Open Laszlo, Microsoft WPF/XAML, SilverLight and Mozilla XUL.

The JavaFX script introduction will be followed by a description of the features that are being explored to create a more consumer- friendly JRE that eases deployment and installation. The features that are being looked into will ease start-up time, provide a quick launch and on-demand installation, among other things.

After attending this session attendees should be able to walk away with a good understanding of JavaFX Script and where the Java SE platform is headed and how this should ease their development and deployment for consumers.

About the Speaker:
Raghavan "Rags" Srinivas is the CTO of Technology Evangelism at Sun Microsystems looking at new technology directions and trends. His general focus area is in distributed systems, with a specialization in interoperability, mobility and security. He has spoken on a variety of technical topics at conferences around the world and teaches graduate classes in the evening. He publishes a standards column and has represented Sun at a number of standards bodies. He also serves in the organizing committee for several industry-wide technical conferences.

Rags brings with him about 20 years of software development and about 7 years of technology evangelism experience. He worked for Digital Equipment Corporation before joining Sun. He has worked on several technology areas, including internals of VMS, Unix and Windows NT. He has evangelized a number of technology areas including the early releases of Java, Java EE, Java and XML, Java ME, AJAX and Web 2.0 and so on.

Rags holds a Masters degree in Computer Science from the Center of Advanced Computer Studies at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette.

He enjoys running, hiking and eating, especially spicy food.

Ethan Nicholas is the author of Yahoo! SiteBuilder and the JAXX Framework. He is now working for Sun as the lead engineer on the Java Kernel project, which aims to modularize the Java Runtime Environment to enable smaller downloads.

Admission:
Paid-up members of TriJUG may attend without additional charge. Non members are asked to pay $5 per meeting. But, if you are either a full time student or unemployed, then we ask only $2 per meeting.

DIRECTIONS to Nortel Networks:
From Raleigh:
Proceed West on I40 to Davis Drive (Exit 280) Take exit for Davis Drive. At the top of the ramp turn left (south) on Davis Drive Proceed to the light at Davis and 54 (aprox 1/3 mile) Turn left onto 54. Proceed approx. 1/4 mile to first (of 3) Nortel entrances on your left. Turn left into Nortel site (you should see a pond to your right) Proceed aprox. 200 yards to the first right turn into parking lot. Park near center of near side of building Enter through guard station near BIG YELLOW WALL. (Know your car's license plate number -- guard may ask.)

From Durham:
Proceed East on I40 to Davis Drive (Exit 280) Take exit for Davis Drive. At the top of the ramp turn left (south) on Davis Drive Proceed to the light at Davis and 54 (approx 1/4 mile) Turn left onto 54. Proceed approx. 1/4 mile to first (of 3) Nortel entrances on your left. Turn left into Nortel site (you should see a pond to your right) Proceed aprox. 200 yards to the first right turn into parking lot. Park near center of near side of building Enter through guard station near BIG YELLOW WALL. (Know your car's license plate number -- guard may ask.)

From Cary/Apex:
Entering RTP on Davis proceed to intersection with Hwy 54. Turn Right onto Hwy 54 (at light) Proceed approx. 1/4 mile to first (of 3) Nortel entrances on your left. Turn left into Nortel site (you should see a pond to your right) Proceed aprox. 200 yards to the first right turn into parking lot. Park near center of near side of building Enter through guard station near BIG YELLOW WALL. (Know your car's license plate number -- guard may ask.)

[Return to Lobby]