Apple quietly deprecates OS X's factory-fitted Java

Applets are crap technology?

http://www.runescape.com/
http://funorb.com/

"RuneScape has entered the record books this week. The game has been recognised as the most popular free MMORPG in the world for the second year in a row, with a certificate awarded by Guinness World Records."
http://services.runescape.com/m=news/newsitem.ws?id=1386

This game targeted a niche in the market. Users that didn't have high-end graphic cards (so couldn't play doom or WoW). Users that wanted everything stored online without having to deal with the hassle of installing onto the machine and updating it through the program (basically not getting their hands dirty). Users that wanted to play on multiple platforms easily.


If the JVM is deprecated and Oracle doesn't pick it up, there's no point in developing Java for Mac OS X. I don't even distribute my Java apps to Windows/Linux with the JVM. I tell the users where to download it and how, and this didn't destroy my user base. Think I'll package a JVM in my Java apps for Mac OS X? No way, nor will most developers. Most developers have a record of how many users use their software. If the Mac OS X percentage is lower than all the others, no reason to bother with it.

Java & Swing (in my opinion) is the best cross-platform GUI around. I've tried Qt and others (for C++) and nothing beats how easy everything is while making it so complex and keeping it almost the same throughout all OS's. Also, I like Java better compared to C/C++/Objective-C with how easily arrays are initialized, very advanced garbage collection currently (even though I wish I had "delete [] variable;"), GREAT support for internationalization (so easy to use utf-8, utf-16, locales, etc.), etc. Personally, I think that Mac OS X is trying to kill off the Java language; Java is used on Android, and there is no JVM for iPhone/iPad. They want people to solely use Objective-C for working with all Apple products; they're becoming like Windows pretty much. And guess what, to actually build correct (i.e., no bugs) applications in Objective-C I have to use Xcode. So I have to buy a Macbook also just in order to develop apps (or buy Xcode and hack it for Windows/Linux).

But I think Oracle should pick it up, so no worries...However, Apple should have at least asked Oracle first, so that in their announcement they could have said, "Java is being deprecated; we contacted Oracle; (either they will make the JVM or not make the JVM)." This is the problem with most companies...not enough details to users or not even trying to run things like a correct business. You know the Wizard in the Wizard of Oz that hid behind this big curtain? That's pretty much what most companies are...you know nothing of the truth, just what they want you to see, yet we depend on and buy everything from them.

insane from Apple..
I use my iMac for java development..its the best experience..
NetBeans Eclipse all run that extra better on the mac..
so unless Oracle steps in...we will never see Java 7 on the mac

Sometimes computers are not just for clueless ppl u know..to build software you need computers..and Java is one of those great tools to build websites.

Really..this is becoming annoying and stupid coming from apple.

They have no consideration for the many developers that use a mac .

the writer of this article says .."server side java on OS X is non existent"
like WTF??? Most of my apps are for server/client. and Helloo what do i use to develop..Java..
i dont care bout the Java integration in XCode..what i care is about JEE on the mac
if ppl think java is just applets and small phone apps..think again..most of your banks use Java..Google uses Java..
geez apple..lets hope Oracle helps us

Apple was really bad at keeping their Java build current anyway. And with Java no longer a core technology, there's no reason for Apple to glue it to the OS and hold authority over the updates. There will be JDK builds for OS X after this... just not ones /from Apple/ distributed via Software Update.

Upside: potentially much faster Java updates for OSX, for those who use it as a Java development platform. As noted above, Apple was crap at timely updates when it came to Java.

Downside: starting with Lion you can't rely on Java being preinstalled on every single Mac out there anymore. But you already can't rely on this with Linux or Windows; someone who wants to use Java on those machines has to go install the JDK (whether from a download on Windows or a repository on Linux). So this doesn't really change things in a massive manner.

That's all. The sky isn't falling. :)

hmm apple's new slogan should be, "think different (as long as it is the same as us)".

This is terrible idea that will have ramifications beyond what people are even thinking about today.

1. if they leave the existing version of Java available for download you have a huge security concern the moment someone finds a security flaw.

2. If apple pulls support completely and there is no JVM at all, you have cut off a large part of the internet and a whole lot of applications

3. if you expect Oracle to develop a JVM anytime soon then I wouldn't hold your breath, that type of development is a large scale effort and could possibly take years to reach the level of the existing JVM.

Way to go apple control control control!

I use Eclipse to earn a living, and Vuze to download of the live music archive every day. Both of those depend on Java. I sure hope all this means is SJobs got his buddy Larry E to pick up the slack that his old buddy turned nemesis Scott M would not do, and that is, create a timely official port from the purveyor of Java, Oracle nee Sun...

The install of Java broke my OpenOffice.

It seems it is still up in the air as to what this means for Java. Java on Mac seems to be leading to either, no java on os x at all anymore, old version that dosent get support, or Sun/Oracle/whoever will pick up Java for mac.

If Java gets removed from OS X completely, Ill probably be looking for a new OS, possibly Ubuntu. While I dont use Java all that often, the principle in my opinion is Apple saying that something as popular as java isnt needed for mac users, which is clearly not the case. Next, it could be Flash or some other thing that Apple dosent like for whatever reason.

This move gives a lot of momentum to the rumors about possible partnership between Apple and Oracle/Sun.

No Java = no Eclipse or IntelliJ = no development.

Guess I will hold off on replacing my Macbook Pro with a newer one until I see what happens. This is pretty game-breaking for me as a developer.

Anyone else feel that as power users Apple is pushing us into the arms of Linux?

I've heavily enjoyed OS X as a Java development environment. Between this Java announcement and the fact that OS Lion appears to be focused almost solely on dumbing down the OS X experience to be more 'iOS-like', I feel like Ubuntu (and the other increasingly polished Linux distros) is more attractive. They're certainly more willing to cater to the needs of the power users who don't want a dumbed down cellphone-like experience on the desktop.