At the next Java conference you're at, pay close attention to how many of the speakers are using Apple laptops.  Here's a wild-ass guess - all of them.  Well, maybe you'll find the one strange dude who didn't get the memo, but I'm not sure that guy is even allowed in the speakers' lounge.

Now, I sort of get it.  Apple makes beautiful machines.  The hardware is top-notch, the UI is slick, it's UNIX based, and, probably most importantly to most Java developers, it's *not* Windows.

Here's the odd part.  In case you didn't know it already, OS X uses it's own JVM instead of using one provided by Sun.  And Apple is notorious for lagging behind Sun with releasing updated versions of the JVM.  They only recently released a 1.6 version of their JVM a month or so ago, but only with support for 64-bit Intel-based hardware (i.e. machines bought within the last 2 years).  If Microsoft tried to pull off stuff like this, they would get absolutely killed in the press and blogosphere. 

None of this has seemed to slow down the spread of Java developers to the Mac.  Is it clever advertising?  The eye candy?  A status symbol?  The fact that it's not Windows?

I think it's kind of like the whipped guy in college who was dating the super hot girl that always cheated on him.  He knew it, she didn't exactly hide it, but he could never bring himself to break up with her because she was just too hot.  His options were to either put up with her cheating, enjoy his turn at bat every now and then, and walk around campus with her on his arm; or go back to the minors and date somebody more in his own league.

Steve Jobs famously said, "Java's not worth building in. Nobody uses Java anymore. It's this big heavyweight ball and chain." 

It is easily apparent to me that Apple doesn't view Java as a first class citizen on its platform.  Are other Java developers blind to this fact?  Do they hold out hope that things will change?  Are they willing to put up with it for other reasons?

As for me, I'm a happy Vista customer.  :-P

Saturday, June 21, 2008 10:02:13 PM (Eastern Standard Time, UTC-05:00)      Comments [0]  Apple | Java