Latest News from Calvin Austin

The Unwritten Story Of Open Source Java

Sat, 02 Jun 2007 20:15:00 EDT

I left Sun in 2004 after 8 fun years at Javasoft. Open Source Java was a annual discussion at Sun and in many conversations with open source advocates and companies. Many of the engineers I knew were for open sourcing Java as long as the motivation wasn't just to simply reduce headcount in engineering. However each proposal got shot down somewhere in the approval process. There were theories on how, who, why but ultimately the result was the same, at best a small compromise in the license but still no open source Java.

Java on Fiesty Ubuntu - Will Anyone Notice?

Wed, 16 May 2007 17:15:00 EDT

I've been busy working on our Web 2.0 release so didn't have time to update my laptop until now. I was generally happy with my Ubuntu breezy 64bit install, I had the JDK on there, Java worked in firefox 32bit, I could remotely display my screen to a projector and my broadcom wireless card even worked with ndiswrapper. Now I had a few days to spare I decided to upgrade my system. I didn't get off to a good start going from breezy to dapper lost some of the packages I had. I then went from dapper to edgy but then my wireless would not work with ndiswrapper (kernel module had DMA allocation issues). Even the new bcm firmware cutter utility would freeze the OS and I had to remove the module from the module list.

SOA & Web Services: Why Can't We Just Talk?

Wed, 16 May 2007 15:30:00 EDT

You may be wondering, why hasn't the uptake of Web services matched the bold predictions made when it was first launched? There are certainly more developers thinking about Web services with the advent of service-oriented architectures (SOA). However, the number of successful public Web services projects seems to be limited to a few high-profile companies like eBay and Amazon that have published APIs and end points, or developers who have been able to implement services internally but with a narrow and well-defined set of services - still a long way from the smart application that could self-select services at runtime.

What PHP Needs to Learn From Java

Sat, 12 May 2007 13:45:00 EDT

We all know that there isn't a single language or platform that is totally secure, much in the same way that no matter how well you secure your house, it's still possible to leave a door unlocked. However if your house has few locks, open windows and is it a bad neighborhood, shouldn't you do something about it?

C#: Is the Party Over?

Thu, 18 Jan 2007 15:15:00 EST

Five years later what do we see? The .NET platform has been under constant development, often too fast for many corporate users to adopt. There has been a 1.0, 1.1, and 2.0, each which could be counted as a significant version in their own right. Following the churn of the .NET SDK, the Visual Studio product has required its own aggressive update schedule, although when comparing feature lists, C# is not singled out for any special attention on Visual Studio's Web pages.

JavaOne 2006: Open Source Java

Tue, 16 May 2006 14:30:00 EDT

Next came one of the conference sponsors, Ed Zander with Motorola who picked up a duke choice for a Motorola phone. Then the JDK java distro license change was introduced by Mark Shuttleworth of Ubuntu fame. Jonathan hinted about Ubuntu on 'servers', which of course ubuntu already runs on servers and then asked about support on ubuntu on Sparc. Mark did not confirm anything.

Java: What's in a Name

Fri, 28 Apr 2006 14:30:00 EDT

Well first let me tackle the Tiger bit. The Java codenames are all listed here. Tiger or 'Project Tiger' was the name used on a day to day basis, its a convenience instead of saying one point five point zero. The names are chosen as big animals (birds, mammals) for major releases (tiger, mustang) and little insects for maintenance releases. Graham Hamilton took this naming to heart and even launched a poll to decide on dolphin. The insects were all to be beneficial insects too, don't expect a Java roach to make an appearance any time soon.

Calvin Austin's Java Blog: "Go Geronimo Go!"

Mon, 09 Jan 2006 15:30:00 EST

Geronimo 1.0 was released last week. Apache Geronimo is a new, open source, J2EE 1.4 certified application server. It is built from many established open source projects, like OpenEJB, Tomcat and the Derby database so it already has some pedigree. The more I think about it, Java developers are in a great position. There is a great choice of open source J2EE app servers, Geronimo, Jonas, JBoss, Glassfish or you get free access to many commercial servers.

Help I'm Out Of Memory! Who Has My Memory?

Wed, 12 Oct 2005 07:45:00 EDT

Many years ago I saved up for a 16K RAM pack for my tiny Sinclair ZX81 computer. I thought, rather naively, that this was going to be the answer to all my memory issues. I would be able to use increasingly complex programs, okay games, and I could program without the restriction of literally making every byte count. I quickly found out, as you have already discovered if you have been writing Java applications for a while, that adding more memory to your machine is not always the answer to the running out-of-memory problem, the infamous 'OutofMemoryError'.

Mastering Mustang: JDK 6.0 Mustang Release

Wed, 20 Jul 2005 05:00:00 EDT

This month I wanted to review some of the latest happenings in the JDK 6.0 (Mustang) release. Although we have to wait to see the initial JSR draft, you can download the binaries the engineers are actually working on. Some of the newest features to be added include JSR 223 scripting support and JAX-WS 2.0.

JavaOne from the Inside Out

Mon, 13 Jun 2005 10:00:00 EDT

This year will be the first time in 10 JavaOnes that I haven't been a Sun employee. As I am now fairly local to the show I should be able to attend again this year. I've met many developers from around the world who make the annual trip to San Francisco. Many still see it as the Java event to network at, even though attendance is off the highs of the dot.com days.

What's In A Name: Is This The End Of J2EE?

Mon, 16 May 2005 07:00:00 EDT

There has been talk recently that Sun is planning to end the use of the J2 platform name and branding scheme. The proposal is that the terms Java Enterprise Edition and Java Standard Edition will replace J2EE and J2SE. If you had the opportunity to read the March edition of JDJ, you will have discovered that the history of the J2 name, although not perfect, was a compromise by recognizing the platform had taken a significant step forward and resisting the temptation for calling the new release Java 2000.

What Does the Java Future Hold?

Fri, 08 Apr 2005 00:00:00 EDT

Last month I took a trip down memory lane, revisiting the history of J2SE. Apart from trying to remember key events, squeezing 10 years of history into one page was a challenge. I had to relegate many significant technologies to a sentence or two and some I didn't cover at all. However, looking at the future of Java is like looking at NASA's Apollo plans after the first walk on the moon.

2005 Marks Ten Years of Java Technology

Mon, 21 Mar 2005 00:00:00 EST

This year will mark the tenth anniversary of the official launch of Java technology. It seems like only yesterday. No doubt there will be celebrations similar to the five-year anniversary, so I thought I would take this opportunity to step back in time and track Java's course.

Java Inside

Wed, 05 Jan 2005 00:00:00 EST

I recently upgraded my home network to use 802.11g. The prices for routers and PC cards have fallen throughout the year, but unfortunately the support has only marginally improved in that time and, after many re-installs, my network wasn't working. I eventually had to resort to probing the card to find out the exact chipset to get my Linux box up and running.

Under the Hood of a J2EE Application Server

Wed, 08 Dec 2004 00:00:00 EST

I recently had the opportunity to talk with many Java users about the current release and their general experiences with the platform. One of those developers told me that he didn't use J2SE but his J2EE VM sometimes caused problems.

J2SE 5.0 Ready for Business

Fri, 05 Nov 2004 00:00:00 EST

I am pleased to announce that the J2SE 5.0 release has gone final and is ready for you to download! The first set of downloads for Windows, Solaris, and Linux are available from the http://java.sun.com/j2se/5.0 Web site. This even includes a 64-bit AMD64 port on Linux for server-side applications.

Mastering Multithreading

Tue, 26 Oct 2004 00:00:00 EDT

Some of you may remember a time when the world of multithreaded programming was limited to a small set of C or C++ applications. Often the threads were used sparingly and restricted to a specific task or computation or even operating system.

Three Gems from JavaOne

Tue, 07 Sep 2004 00:00:00 EDT

You may have heard the news that Sun has opened the doors for its employees to start blogging, including the most famous employee, the COO. Blogging obviously isn't new, and many companies have already gran-ted individual users the opportunity to go ahead. However, the open floodgate - simply to fill in your details on a Web page, press a button, and start posting - is proving an interesting challenge.

A Tail Of Two Tigers

Thu, 05 Aug 2004 00:00:00 EDT

I recently enjoyed reading A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson. In his book, Bill goes back to basics and delves into the history of many things we take as facts. One memorable observation is a reminder that we are all just collections of trillions of atoms assembled in a unique configuration, a one off, never to be repeated again.

Java & Linux

Wed, 01 Jan 2003 00:00:00 EST

It's been over two years since I wrote my last article about using the Java runtime on Linux ('Java Technology on the Linux Platform' [JDJ, Vol. 5, issue 12]). The Java platform and Linux distributions have not stood still during that time, so I'm taking this opportunity to answer some of the frequent questions that have surfaced since then and provide some insight into some of the more complex issues. If you're a seasoned Java on Linux user or are planning to move to the Linux platform, I trust you'll find the answer you're looking for!

JAVA Technology on the Linux Platform

Fri, 01 Dec 2000 00:00:00 EST

The Java 2 Platform, Standard Edition (J2SE technology) v1.3 for Linux means that Linux users and developers can take advantage of thousands of Java technology-based applications, from enterprise e-commerce infrastructure to client-side applications. It also opens up a huge emerging market for companies that already develop Java products.