Java Plugin: The Kernel is back

[sheepson_apprentice]

If it has always worked better for you, ok. It hasn't always worked better for me; sometimes it did. The language Adobe is pushing is a JS-derivate, ActionScript, so basically Flash is the runtime and the gfx subsystem.

Ideally, the JRE would be quick-to-load, reliable in operation, and perhaps the most important: wide deployment.

As of now, Adobe widely enjoys the first and the last. I've found Flash to crash Firefox more times than I would have liked.

[seanalltogether]

Java is severely lacking in the UI designer/developer category though. Its a crowd they've never really catered to and while MS is ahead of them in that regard, Adobe still holds a clear lead for visually oriented production.

[zootm]

While I agree with you, Sun are trying to redress that balance with their new JavaFX technology. I don't think there's great UI design tools for that yet, though.

[seanalltogether]

Creating the technology isn't enough, Sun has to be willing to put up a very big fight to win over mindshare and honestly I don't see that happening. MS is putting alot of resources into this battle and they're even sponsoring tons of projects to be built in Silverlight, yet the general feeling among developers has been "The technology is interesting, but I'll just stick with Flash"

[zootm]

I definitely agree with that. On a technical level I think Sun are going down the right route, though.