Comments on: The imminent death of J2ME ? http://www.ovidiuiliescu.com/2009/09/27/the-imminent-death-of-j2me/ Quality Software Development Services Tue, 15 Feb 2011 00:05:33 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 By: Dusan http://www.ovidiuiliescu.com/2009/09/27/the-imminent-death-of-j2me/comment-page-1/#comment-2084 Dusan Tue, 15 Feb 2011 00:05:33 +0000 http://www.ovidiuiliescu.com/?p=211#comment-2084 <em>My 2 cents, in case anyone is still following this</em> “J2ME is slow when compared to the iPhone” - well J2ME runs on a JVM, which at best case is Just in Time compiled. This can't perform comparably to a natively written app. Naturally the current RIM SDK which is only Java suffers the same fate, but since all apps are written this way users can't see compare so easily. “The J2ME API is not nearly as powerful as the iPhone’s” - are you really confident that Java's new owner (Oracle) is going to keep on updating the platform? “J2ME suffers badly from device fragmentation issues” - this is actually one I find in J2ME's favour. Nothing can be more inefficient than rewriting for every platform, which is basically what is required if you go native. “J2ME applications can’t match the look and feel of the iPhone” - Even if it looked as good, I really doubt you could get the same level of responsiveness. Very difficult to do in any VM environment. “The iPhone has an ever-growing userbase and will eventually kill J2ME” - although iPhone isn't competitive at the mid-market, some of the entry level BlackBerries are pretty affordable. Granted, it's hard to tell whether these will ever be completely dominant in emerging markets. But is that really where the app money is? “J2ME is not as flexible as the iPhone” - agreed J2ME is the most prevalent mobile API around. “With so many platforms around, J2ME’s market share is going to dwindle” - I don't see "smartphone" users accepting J2ME apps anymore. “Everyone is switching to the iPhone and there won’t be enough developers left to work with J2ME” - of course J2ME has a constant supply of developers from J2SE and J2EE. Java is an easier language than Objective-C. But I would rather code in C than fight on device Java debugging (at least that was my experience with Nokia/Eclipse). iPhone proved there was a whole economy and ecosystem for app developers (and it proved this in a very short space of time). Has J2ME done the same? What are Oracle's plans with Java in general? My 2 cents, in case anyone is still following this

“J2ME is slow when compared to the iPhone” – well J2ME runs on a JVM, which at best case is Just in Time compiled. This can’t perform comparably to a natively written app. Naturally the current RIM SDK which is only Java suffers the same fate, but since all apps are written this way users can’t see compare so easily.

“The J2ME API is not nearly as powerful as the iPhone’s” – are you really confident that Java’s new owner (Oracle) is going to keep on updating the platform?

“J2ME suffers badly from device fragmentation issues” – this is actually one I find in J2ME’s favour. Nothing can be more inefficient than rewriting for every platform, which is basically what is required if you go native.

“J2ME applications can’t match the look and feel of the iPhone” – Even if it looked as good, I really doubt you could get the same level of responsiveness. Very difficult to do in any VM environment.

“The iPhone has an ever-growing userbase and will eventually kill J2ME” – although iPhone isn’t competitive at the mid-market, some of the entry level BlackBerries are pretty affordable. Granted, it’s hard to tell whether these will ever be completely dominant in emerging markets. But is that really where the app money is?

“J2ME is not as flexible as the iPhone” – agreed J2ME is the most prevalent mobile API around.

“With so many platforms around, J2ME’s market share is going to dwindle” – I don’t see “smartphone” users accepting J2ME apps anymore.

“Everyone is switching to the iPhone and there won’t be enough developers left to work with J2ME” – of course J2ME has a constant supply of developers from J2SE and J2EE. Java is an easier language than Objective-C. But I would rather code in C than fight on device Java debugging (at least that was my experience with Nokia/Eclipse).

iPhone proved there was a whole economy and ecosystem for app developers (and it proved this in a very short space of time). Has J2ME done the same? What are Oracle’s plans with Java in general?

]]> By: mko http://www.ovidiuiliescu.com/2009/09/27/the-imminent-death-of-j2me/comment-page-1/#comment-935 mko Thu, 30 Sep 2010 15:49:24 +0000 http://www.ovidiuiliescu.com/?p=211#comment-935 Depends on the intended market. iPhone is way to expensive on the markets where carriers don't to contracts. And has way less market share. Depends on the intended market.
iPhone is way to expensive on the markets where carriers don’t to contracts. And has way less market share.

]]> By: Rich Livingstone http://www.ovidiuiliescu.com/2009/09/27/the-imminent-death-of-j2me/comment-page-1/#comment-487 Rich Livingstone Tue, 20 Jul 2010 13:38:30 +0000 http://www.ovidiuiliescu.com/?p=211#comment-487 I wish that the arguments were technical ones but unfortunately, in the real world, marketing rules and Apple has sold it to the majority of the world, with Android coming up on the outside. I've been developing J2ME apps for 5 years but distribution has always been a problem - a problem the iTunes and Android app stores solve. Device fragmentation has always been a huge problem, leading to a tendency for apps not to "just work" - except on iPhones where because control is tight, it does just all work (mostly :->). I would bet on Apple at this point to keep and maintain their lead, at least until Google figure out how to prevent fragmentation on the Android platform. I wish that the arguments were technical ones but unfortunately, in the real world, marketing rules and Apple has sold it to the majority of the world, with Android coming up on the outside. I’ve been developing J2ME apps for 5 years but distribution has always been a problem – a problem the iTunes and Android app stores solve. Device fragmentation has always been a huge problem, leading to a tendency for apps not to “just work” – except on iPhones where because control is tight, it does just all work (mostly :->).

I would bet on Apple at this point to keep and maintain their lead, at least until Google figure out how to prevent fragmentation on the Android platform.

]]> By: Reserver http://www.ovidiuiliescu.com/2009/09/27/the-imminent-death-of-j2me/comment-page-1/#comment-409 Reserver Thu, 24 Jun 2010 04:25:15 +0000 http://www.ovidiuiliescu.com/?p=211#comment-409 I totally agree with you, and here is the proof: http://www.tiobe.com/index.php/content/paperinfo/tpci/index.html I think Java and its derivatives are here to stay...particularly now with Oracle at back I totally agree with you, and here is the proof:
http://www.tiobe.com/index.php/content/paperinfo/tpci/index.html

I think Java and its derivatives are here to stay…particularly now with Oracle at back

]]> By: jj http://www.ovidiuiliescu.com/2009/09/27/the-imminent-death-of-j2me/comment-page-1/#comment-403 jj Tue, 22 Jun 2010 15:00:14 +0000 http://www.ovidiuiliescu.com/?p=211#comment-403 For winCE and windows mobile there is phoneME, for Android there is microemulator. Only the iphone doesn't have a solution for j2me. For business applications there is no better platform available. For winCE and windows mobile there is phoneME, for Android there is microemulator. Only the iphone doesn’t have a solution for j2me.
For business applications there is no better platform available.

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