With JavaFX Debut, Sun’s Demo Fizzles

EddieC 0 611 Views

It was the belle of the ball stumbling as she made her grand entrance. Sun Microsystems on Tuesday, hoping to make a big splash at JavaOne with the launch of its shiny new platform for rich internet application development, saw demos of JavaFX repeatedly crash.

Like blaming it on the red carpet, Sun’s senior VP of software Rich Green said it was “the size of the pipes in the Moscone Center” that were the culprits of the embarrassing brain-freeze. He was trying to drag a JavaFX app from a browser to the desktop; a pretty neat trick, when you think about it. I wasn’t there to see it, but I hear he was later able to pull it off.

JavaFX introduces JavaFX Script, a declarative, statically typed scripting language that like Java uses packages, classes, inheritance and separate compilation and deployment units. JavaFX code compiles into bytecode and runs in any JVM that Java code can, including handheld devices. JavaFX “provides a presentation layer for the Java ecosystem,” according to Sun’s JavaFX introduction page. JavaFX Scripts can call Java APIs directly.

For Java developers, check out part one of Sun’s introduction to JavaFX Script for Java developers, a step-by-step . You’ll find links to parts two and three there too.

The demo’s failure brought to mind another bit of techie history trivia: the Windows 98 demo crash by Bill Gates at Comdex on April 20, 1998. JavaFX clearly has more potential and innovation to offer developers than Win98 did, but also will have more competition; namely from Adobe’s Flash (and later, AIR), Curl and Microsoft’s Silverlight. Ten years ago, the only other realistic options for the desktop were all made by Microsoft.

You’ll also want to know about the , where you can discuss and contribute to the project and download all the related parts and pieces.

Dani AI

Generated

captured the JavaOne moment well: a flashy new runtime, a neat drag‑and‑drop demo, and an embarrassing on‑stage failure. JavaFX actually debuted around that time with its own UI DSL (JavaFX Script) and has changed shape several times since the 2008 JavaOne reveal. (en.wikipedia.org)

Practical checklist for reliable demos:

  • Use a self‑contained build (media and services bundled locally).
  • Test the exact sequence on the exact machine and OS that will be used; freeze the runtime and libraries.
  • Bundle the runtime or create a native package so the demo does not depend on whatever JRE/JDK a venue provides.
  • Avoid in‑browser plugin demos: browser NPAPI support was removed and plugin-based Java applets are unreliable or blocked in modern browsers.
  • Prepare a recorded fallback and a second machine that’s already staged.

These points matter because the Java plugin model used by applets depended on NPAPI, which modern browsers no longer support. (java.com)

Developer context and migration notes: JavaFX Script was phased out in favor of Java APIs with the JavaFX 2.0 redesign, and the project later moved to the OpenJFX community. JavaFX is now developed as OpenJFX and (since the Java 11 era) is distributed separately from the JDK as modular artifacts that can be pulled in with Maven/Gradle or bundled with the app. (infoq.com)

If maintaining or updating legacy JavaFX 1.x apps, plan for migration (rebuild on modern JavaFX APIs) or long‑term maintenance. For delivering legacy JNLP/WebStart style apps, community projects such as OpenWebStart provide a practical fallback. (infoworld.com)

Short, staged rehearsals and packaging the demo as an offline, self‑contained artifact turn most “stage” catastrophes into non‑events — a small bit of prep preserves the novelty and leaves the drama to the applause.

Be a part of the DaniWeb community

We're a friendly, industry-focused community of developers, IT pros, digital marketers, and technology enthusiasts meeting, networking, learning, and sharing knowledge.

Edit Preview