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In response to reports that Sun Microsystems micro edition of Java might be phased out, James Gosling, the creator of the Java language, weighed in to refute the claim.
In a blog post Oct. 24, Gosling said Java ME (Java Platform, Micro Edition) is “growing up” and evolving, not being phased out.
Java ME is Suns platform for building Java applications on cell phones and devices.
“The early versions of Java ME were very simple and limited, a direct reflection of the fact that early phones themselves were simple and limited: We had to work with what we had,” Gosling said.
“But as time has passed, and cell phones have become more powerful and capable, Java ME has grown up too.”
Click here to read about Suns plans to open-source Java ME.
Moreover, he wrote, “Cell phones are becoming the new desktop. Weve been saying this for years. Over time, its pretty clear that Java ME and Java SE [Java Platform, Standard Edition] will converge and become largely indistinguishable.
“It goes both ways: Java SE has a much more sophisticated graphics API, and Java ME is growing there. Java ME has a location API (GPS) and one could easily make the argument that it should be available in Java SE.”
What caused some confusion was that Sun has been touting its JavaFX Mobile technology. However, “This is a process of evolution, not Out with the old, in with the new,” Gosling said. “JavaFX mobile contains within it an implementation of Java ME. It is not some weird new beast.”
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