Moderator (MDR): MDR-erika
Guest Speaker (SPK): SPK-name
MDR-erika: Welcome to Java Live with Miko Matsumura, Java Evangelist. While we get set up, please feel free to send in questions and comments for Miko. We will start the forum at 11:00. For those of you who haven't used this chat applet before, you can send in questions to me, the moderator, and I'll post them. Miko will respond to your questions. And we're almost ready to get going here--Okay, so Miko's now with us!
SPK-miko: Hi everybody
MDR-erika: Miko, would you like to define your role and responsibilities?
SPK-miko: Sure I'm the Java Evangelist at JavaSoft, which means that I'm on a quest for the "killer application!"
MDR-erika: Okay, here's the first question. Let's see what Miko has to say about it.
russgold: I was wondering about standards for browsers--Currently, the browsers that I have tested (Netscape and IE) use a single namespace for all applets. This means that all applets share a definition of all classes and all static variables. Is this required/permitted by the Java standard? If so, is there *any* way to use the singleton pattern in an applet, so that no other applet can access that data, but all objects within the applet can?
SPK-miko: I don't know the answer to that question, but I can get the answer for you from our security team.
russgold: Continuing my previous question, can/must trusted applets use a common namespace? If they do, couldn't an untrusted applet change the behavior of a trusted one, and wouldn't that be a security hole?
SPK-miko: I believe that the trusted applet may be entitled to see the namespace of an untrusted one, but not vice versa. Marianne and Li are the security experts at JavaSoft and could illuminate you quite well...
MDR-erika: Thanks, Miko. We're still taking questions for the queue--here's your chance to ask Miko, the most well-traveled person at JavaSoft, about all the cool things he's seen on the planet.
calvin: Now that Java is going to have A1 quality sound, do you know of any
game companies that are going to exploit this and the new graphics stuff
that is around the corner :*)
SPK-miko: I know that SegaSoft is already exploring the use of Java, as is Nintendo...
MDR-erika: That should be interesting. Here's a question from Dumbrill--
Dumbrill: One concern that I have is that the visual tool providers seem to be way behind
the current release of the JDK. With new JDKs being released rapidly
what is being done to see that the tools aren't so far behind the JDK?
I see a lot of Betas but no "ready for primetime" visual tools.
SPK-miko: The lag between 1.02 and 1.1 support in the tools space is definitely a strong concern. What we are doing now is providing releases as early as possible to as many people as possible. If the Java community wanted, we could make a special early release available only to the IDE vendors, but we tend to release everything to everyone as quickly as we can, which results in a bit of a lag. On the other hand, we also work closely with the major IDE vendors and provide as much information as we can. I think the lag is a necessary evil that results from us trying to give everyone as much info as we can.
MDR-erika: Thanks, Miko. To the guests: feel free to send in your questions and comments, if you have any.
SPK-miko:
Just to focus the role of Java Evangelism a little bit more--in this past year, I've been to over 50 venues in 40 countries and spoken to over 50,000 people.
If you are interested in more about where I've been, check out
http://www.miko.com/sermons.html
or my main page
www.miko.com
MDR-erika: The next question comes from sellhorn. It's about the much-talked-about HotSpot.
sellhorn: There's a lot of talk about HotSpot recently. I would love for you guys to achieve
C++ performance, however there are a lot of things aside from being an interpreted language that slow Java down (like bounds checking, garbage collection, etc.). So when you guys
say that Java will have C++ performance in the future, do you really mean
"almost C++ like performance"?
SPK-miko: You are absolutely correct in saying that. I wrote an article for the "Java Report" magazine about performance--there are perhaps five levels of performance:
1) the hardware
2) the VM and compilation
3) the system services including GC (garbage collection) and threads
4) the APIs (acceleration at the event level in AWT for example)
5) Java programming improvements
So when we say C++ like performance... we are talking about a complex issue obviously. However, there is excellent work being done at all five levels! This means that acceleration is being done on top of acceleration.
MDR-erika: Excellent. The next question comes from a charter JDC member...
mitchgart: Hey Miko, I thought your demos at JavaOne were fantastic.
What a lot of guts it took to do those things in real time up on a
stage! Can the demos from the last day's keynote, from the NASA
guy and from the Berkeley genetics guy, be seen online somewhere?
I'd like to take a closer look at a couple of things.
SPK-miko: Thanks very much--for those of you who weren't there, check out www.javasoft.com/javaone--in answer to your question, there are ways to link with the demos... the Nasa guy I can give his email address out if you are interested--email me at miko@miko.com the drosophila genome project can be viewed here http://friutfly.berkeley.edu The Mars Pathfinder applet is also available online...
MDR-erika: I was very impressed with Miko's demo abilities too! He must have aced public speaking in high school ;-) We're ready for more questions or comments, if you have any.
MDR-erika: Miko, while we're waiting for questions or comments, can you speak a little bit about what it's like to travel the world and show people Java? What countries seem to be the most ready for it?
SPK-miko: Just to follow up on the url for the Mars Pathfinder demo:
http://robotics.jpl.nasa.gov/people/backes/homepage.html
Here is the author's homepage, you can find WITS there (web interface for telescience).
A region that seems extraordinarily ready for Java is the Asia South region. It has the world's largest base of english-speaking programmers in India and the Phillippines, a 40-billion dollar Multimedia Super Corridor project in Malaysia with a 2-Gig fiber backbone, and a commerce center through which a great deal of information technology flows (Singapore). This area is poised to win big with Java--Singapore is the first Java Competency Center authorized by JavaSoft. The Singapore JCC is a real opportunity for Java. I was there two weeks ago. I was also talking to the Malaysian government about their MSC initiative--they are considering issuing Java Smart Cards to every Malay citizen. I also spoke to the Singapore Ministry of Defence (MinDef). They are considering having an internet/Java-based way to apply to the selective services, which goes out to every male citizen in Singapore...
MDR-erika: That's very interesting. No wonder you spend so much time on a plane over the Pacific!
SPK-miko: :)
MDR-erika: Here's a follow-up question:
russgold: To follow up on sellhorn's question. Are there any plans to change the language to permit *writing* faster code? For example, the lack of a const qualifier for parameters and function returns means that objects must dynamically create objects when passing them, so that the recipient cannot change the value of an internal object.. This means a lot of news and gc that is not needed in C++
SPK-miko: Yes, you make a very valid point, there are constructs in Java that create overhead for the processor. We do not currently plan to change the language in this way. However, implementation under the language might allow for much more optimized mechanisms than the creation of new objects upon passing say, "under the language." I mean, of course, compilation and optimizations.
MDR-erika: Here's a question I always wondered about...
mitchgart: It's been observed that Java is a great language for programming
Microsoft COM applications, and a better fit than C++ for several reasons.
Do you have any idea whether the people designing Java took this
into account as a design goal for the Java language?
SPK-miko: Great question! Actually, the similarities between the COM object model and the Java object model are an example of convergent evolution. I'm fairly certain that COM was not one of the models for the object model. However our JavaBeans team really studied COM very well to make Beans.
MDR-erika: Ah, I can sleep better at night knowing the answer to that. The next question has to do with something James Gosling always talks about--Java for the everyday experience.
sellhorn: Miko, since Java was originally designed for small appliances and the like; what
has happenned to all of these applications? Have you seen any Java enabled TVs
or refrigerators ?;-)
SPK-miko: In fact, I have, (well, not the refrigerator). We showed a television on stage at JavaOne running JavaOS. There are Java-enabled phones under design by Nortel. Mitsubishi has this killer handheld NC. There is a Java watch being designed by a major manufacturer (sorry, can't disclose), and there are Java Cards coming from Schlumberger and Gem Plus.
MDR-erika: That's too bad about the fridge--JavaIce sounds kind of cool! The next question is from jamey about HTML processing--I get a lot of webmaster mail about HTML processing.
jamey: Hi Miko -- I recently discovered a major drawback in trying to build a large Java
document-processing application: the lack of a good HTML processing and rendering tool.
As the concept of the intranet becomes more popular, Java application programmers
will be required to build tools for manipulating HTML documents outside the scope
of the browser. Do you have any idea what the plan is for providing HTML classes/beans
for the future, one which follows the current HTML standards?
SPK-miko: I demoed a HTML-rendering bean at the JavaOne conference. THAT caused some interest... if you are curious you can contact the author of the bean at jere.mcdevitt@east.sun.com This code is currently being scrutinized and we are in the process of deciding what to do with it I think such a beastie is definitely going to hit the streets sometime in the next six months--if not from JavaSoft, from other sources...
MDR-erika: These are great questions--thanks for sending them in! We've only two left in the queue, so if anyone else has a question, send them on in!
SPK-miko: Hey, y'all this is fun. :)
MDR-erika: Our next question is from mgdaudel--
mgdaudel: Hello Miko. My question is about three-tier RMI-JDBC applications.
I have developed mine to the point of returning data one query at a time.
I read in the latest revision of Core Java, how to synchronize server
methods to allow for more than one concurrent client request. I can
not get it to work. Any suggestions on other resources or people that
would know how to make it possible for multiple client stubs to make
simultaneous calls to a server object?
SPK-miko: Have you read Orfali's new book? It is a really good book. Barring that, I'd email ken.arnold@sun.com
MDR-erika: The next question is from Dumbrill--and it's on printing.
Dumbrill: When will we see printing seriously addressed for applications?
There a many Java killer applications to be born that still need to print
in a robust manner.
SPK-miko: I would like a better definition of "serious"? mmm I think when we see next iterations of MRJ and Win95 integrated Java... MRJ=Mac runtime for Java
MDR-erika: Here's a better definition of "serious."
Dumbrill: Better font support, and better page support.
SPK-miko: I want to answer your question better about printing--can we go offline? Email me at miko.matsumura@eng.sun.com. I hope that didn't sound evasive. I just don't have all the answers right here.
MDR-erika: That's cool. And Miko does answer his mail--even when he's overseas!
SPK-miko: If you want the RMI/JAVA corba book from orfali, go here:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ISBN=0471163511
/2466-3762573-276183. It's a really a good book. Ken Arnold is the main implementer of JavaSpaces... If you are curious about JavaSpaces, check it out here: http://chatsubo.javasoft.com/javaspaces/js-spec/index.html Its really interesting...
MDR-erika: Here's another question from sellhorn--
sellhorn: As an evangelist, how do you recommend engineers go about convincing their management to use Java. Do you have any interesting tips or techniques?
SPK-miko: I love articles like this: http://www5.zdnet.com/anchordesk/story/story_863.html. Other strategies include calling in evangelists to meet one-on-one with your management... Too bad JavaSoft only has one... :) Aside from propaganda, I recommend looking at case studies and success stories--I can provide some if you like?
MDR-erika: We have a little more time for questions and comments. So send them in. I have a question for Miko--a historical one. How did you ever get started in evangelism?
SPK-miko: I used to work at HotWired, and I became obsessed by Java. My first Chat applet client was 6k in size as a binary; this was incredible to me. It was 3 AM--I was hooked.
MDR-erika: Was it difficult to convince people at JavaSoft that they needed an evangelist?
SPK-miko: Hmmm no, actually, I was hired by the director of engineering solely to serve that function!
As a follow up to the devices question, has anyone read this article?
http://www.techweb.com/wire/news/apr/0429sun.html.
MDR-erika: Great. What I might do, in the remaining time, is open up the room for a more informal discussion (ie. not moderated) Sound good to you, Miko? Okay, so I just made Miko one of "you" and I'm trying to make myself a non-moderator. Miko has a question for you, the developers.
SPK-miko: What are your favorite sources of Java information?
sellhorn: www.javaworld.com and the JavaReport.
lhotari: http://java.sun.com
SPK-miko: Excellent! I'm thinking of writing for JavaWorld...
MDR-erika: Hey, what about our exclusive JDC rights to your work! ;-)
SPK-miko: I already write for the other two...
Dumbrill: comp.lang.java.announce
sellhorn: Also the O'Reilly Java series. (for reference) I find the Sun books a little ... lacking
SPK-miko: Do you mean the SUNsoft books like Core Java, or the JavaSoft books like, "Java Programming" by James Gosling?
MDR-erika: Miko has to head out, so we'll wrap things up here. This has been a great forum--thanks for participating. And thanks, Miko!
sellhorn: Actually the Graphic Java book was very bad. To be fair I haven't read any of Gosling's books.
SPK-miko: Does everyone have my email address--miko.matsumura@eng.sun.com
SPK-miko: You are talking about the SUNsoft books. Try Addison-Wesley's JavaSoft Java Books!
Anyhow, ask around your JUG or Newsgroup for good books... There are many!
MDR-erika: Great--I'll post this transcript later this week, so everyone can access all the urls that Miko miraculously came up with.
SPK-miko: I'd just like to thank everyone for attending! It's fun to be participating in this pioneering medium. You know, I wrote the prototype version of www.talk.com so you can all go check that out if you are interested. Java Chatters unite! Sorry folks, gotta run!
MDR-erika: Thanks everyone, see you next Tuesday! Last moderator (me) signing off. The forum is now unmoderated
