After a four-year hiatus, Macintosh is back as a premium Java platform: Mac OS X 10.1 finally got it right.
Soon after Java came out, Macintosh quickly became the best platform for Java development, using a now-defunct IDE called “Roaster” (by Roaster Technologies, run by John Dhabolt).
After a four-year hiatus, Macintosh is back as a premium Java platform: Mac OS X 10.1 finally got it right.
Soon after Java came out, Macintosh quickly became the best platform for Java development, using a now-defunct IDE called “Roaster” (by Roaster Technologies, run by John Dhabolt).
However, Sun’s Java development started concentrating more on Windows, and soon outpaced the ability of Roaster (and apparently Apple) to keep up. Soon, the Mac was sidelined with respect to Java, and many developers, including me, had to jump ship and work on Windows boxes.
Now, the Mac is back. Internet Explorer runs Java 1.3 applets with no special HTML for plug-ins. Java WebStart is pre-installed in Mac OS X 10.1, so real desktop applications (and applets) can be downloaded and run automatically. And a Java application (a “.jar” file) can simply be double-clicked to run it.
With CodeWarrior and JBuilder hosted on Macintosh, the support for Java developers and users is complete. Now, those of us who were driven away can come back to the Mac with gusto! I believe Macintosh will become the premium Java development platform once again.
