Java on the iPhone? @ JAVA DEVELOPER'S JOURNAL

Java on the iPhone?

No one can predict how Java applications will be on the iPhone; will Apple even allow the JVM to exist?

Mar. 10, 2008 02:30 PM

Sun is planning on releasing a JVM version for the iPhone - apparently the plan is to first include Java ME with multi-touch interface support, with rumors of Java SE support coming later (mentioned on Mac rumor sites).

I personally think this is an amazing idea. I think the iPhone is a great platform for the future of mobile computing, and developers should be free to develop applications for the world in Java.

This will open up a big market for the iPhone for not just games, yet also many applications for business. Many existing applications can be ported over and allow for better adoption with not just Apple geeks, yet for business people.

Other than the lack of keyboard, I believe this is what’s holding back the iPhone. It needs to be able to do all the things the Blackberry can do for a business person. At the end of the day, work needs to get done. No matter how fancy an interface or how easy it is to use, nothing else matters as much as that.

While there are many that still carry the Java FUD machine around wherever Java is mentioned, no one can predict how Java applications will be on the iPhone. I believe that it depends on the application. We will just have to wait and see what comes of it.

Will Apple even allow the JVM to exist?
If the JVM is allowed, will things like Ruby on the JVM come next for quick application development?

There are so many questions and it’s very exciting to think about. Only time will tell if the right choices get made or will Apple vendor lock the device and keep its precious iPhone all to itself…

Published Mar. 10, 2008 — Reads 6,878
Copyright © 2008 SYS-CON Media. All Rights Reserved.

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About Christopher Humphries
Christopher Humphries is a software developer. Currently he works for BurstNET Technologies, Inc. He has worked for DevIS and Pointone in the past, as well as some other companies and consulting contracts. Hkis current techy passions right now are Catalyst, Perl and Mac - he's currently working on writing a Perl book.

Don Babcock wrote: I'd go so far as to say that the iPhone is THE platform for the future of mobile computing. I'm a J2ME developer. I loved the combo of Netbeans and SDK's until I ran into the "brick wall" fortifications that the telcos have erected to deny the ability to develop for their platforms for all but the most well heeled "partners." Steve Jobs has wonderfully liberated us with the advent of the iPhone SDK. From my perspective, Java has always been "hampered" by the degree of difficulty in building robust and intuitive UI's. You can easily invest the MAJORITY of your development time in the UI as opposed to the actual application code proposition. Any of the J2ME emulators/debuggers that I've looked at and used don't hold a candle to the ones built into the iPhone SDK. From my perspective, it will be MUCH ...

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Amlan wrote: In an ideal world java would be the only language on iPhone. The arcane objective c that apple tries to push is simple not worth the effort for many developers to waste time learning unless it's on many many platforms or apple holds 90% market share. Neither of which is the case. Also simply the number of mobile java and brew (c++) developers outnumber objective-c developers by a huge ratio. So the only reason I can think of is Apple not willing to pay any money for it in royality to Sun. If thats the case, I dont blame them, Sun screwed them pretty bad for Java SE on Mac. But they could have still done something about it. The only losers are the customer and developers.

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Jody Mitoma wrote: I really dont understand why they dont slap in a JavaVM option in the Safari Mobile options menu - and allow us to turn it on and off at will.

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