IT departments can expect the imminent release of a
major new version of the core Java specification, Java 2 Enterprise
Edition 5 (J2EE 5), according to Java-owner Sun Microsystems, with
new features to make it easier for developers to create Java-based
web applications.
J2EE 5 will, for example, allow IT departments to annotate their
Enterprise Java Beans 3 code, which means they can write
instructions in English that the Java tools then interpret and
execute, said Simon Ritter, a Java technology manager at Sun.
It will also feature Javaserver Faces, a tool to help developers
quickly create web-based applications, as well as other tools to
make coding simpler, said Sun.
Sun released the final draft of J2EE 5 on 22 February, and the
new specification will be one of the major features of the JavaOne
user conference, which takes place between 16 and 19 May in San
Francisco.
As Java approaches its 11th year it is growing in popularity
among many organisations, including banks, telecoms companies, and
mobile device makers.
A UK Java conference this month attracted 1,000 developers.
However, enthusiasm for the technology has not stopped Sun being
criticised by users for not working hard enough to make the
platform easier for non-technical developers to use, and not
helping developers who are trying to create desktop applications
with a Windows character.
Java and .net developer and chief technical officer of Edge IPK,
Dharmish Mistry, said Java is flourishing, but Sun could still make
Java tools easier to use for non-technical developers and business
users.
This is something Microsoft has seen success with, with tools
like Infopath, said Mistry. "Sun does not have that story and tends
to focus only on developers," Mistry said.
Java also needs to make gains on the desktop, said Mistry.
"Conquering the enterprise is one thing, but you have got to win
the desktop. That does not mean the operating system, but creating
good Java desktop applications," he said.
However, Sun insisted it is working hard to make Java easier to
use. For example, Sun has been working on web service integration,
particularly to ease integration with Microsoft's .net, and IBM and
BEA's enterprise platforms, said Ritter.
Sun has also developed the Java Studio Creator visual Java
development suite, to help users create quick and simple Java
applications. He added that Sun has concentrated on .net
interoperability with the next release of the Java language - Java
SE6.
"We are putting a lot of effort in to the look and feel to make
native apps indistinguishable from Windows apps," he said.
Ovum analyst Bola Rotibi said that developers no longer just
have to choose between Java or Microsoft. "A year ago everything
was J2EE. Now, you have a mix of environments with XML, Ajax, J2EE,
the Eclipse framework, and others. The key is to have
interoperability and a decent framework," she said.