It’s been some time since I last wrote for the Symbian Blog. While I’ve been away we’ve done a huge amount to create an active and open community that is committed to creating and maintaining the Symbian platform. You’ll already know that we’ve successfully opened-sourced the Symbian platform, providing a completely open-source distribution with Symbian^3. Now that we are truly open, we need to push the boundaries of openness to secure the most innovative and cutting-edge features for the Symbian platform.
Symbian Blog: Articles by Runtime Rob
Runtime Technology Manager @ Symbian Foundation
Symbian at the UC Expo
Mar 8th by Runtime Rob
Why Widget?
Jun 26th by Runtime Rob
As a commuter, I spend hours on (delayed) trains every week. In between napping and finishing off a few pieces of work, I’ll often turn to Facebook on my phone to keep myself amused. Last week one of my friends updated his status to: “John is wondering who on earth came up with the term “widget” and why on earth it is (mis)used for so many things.” Read more »
The Future of Java
May 29th by Runtime Rob
As a newcomer to the world of Symbian, I’ve been faced with the daunting but immensely exciting task of mapping out the future of Symbian platform runtimes. With the annual JavaOne conference opening in San Francisco next week, it seems like a good time to reflect on Java.
Back in 2000 I was an excitable developer creating tiny databases in Silicon Valley. I’d play around with Java on Psion netbooks dreaming of a day that I’d be able to use this technology to get my database on the phone of every corporate road warrior. A year later at JavaOne 2001 my geeky dream was realised and the database was being showcased on the Motorola i85 handset. MIDP 1.0 created a huge industry buzz, Java technology was embraced by the mobile industry and the pace of innovation was unprecedented.
8 years on as MIDP 3.0 comes to the end of its long and tortured development; it faces an industry questioning its relevance. Microsoft has never shipped Java as standard, Apple has an enviable application store without a Java application in sight and the Android platform has side-stepped Java with the Dalvik virtual machine. Developers are also finding Java-alternatives more innovative, simpler to deploy and ultimately more commercially attractive. So what has gone wrong for Java..?
One of the biggest issues for Java has been the commercially motivated JCP governance model. This model was once the poster-child for collaborative development, but the JCP has been used as a lever for political and commercial gain, leaving the broader industry out in the cold. Slow innovation, fragmented implementations and confused routes to market are a huge turn-off for developers. Equally, license agreements that give lawyers and finance directors cold-sweats don’t wash with device manufacturers in the face of strong competition.
So what does this mean for the Symbian Foundation and the future of Java? Open-source has always been the friendly face of collaborative software development. Throw a commercially friendly licensing model into the mix and the Java way of doing business looks outdated and ugly. Without a shift in governance and business model, a slow and painful death for Java is inevitable. If Java can’t be persuaded to change, switching off its life support may be best for everyone.
