Good
- JavaFX APIs will be made accessible to any JVM language
- New controls (TableView, SplitView, TabView, MediaPlayer, WebBrowser, RichText)
- Prism will become the standard graphics rendering system (does hardware rendering)
- New consistent layout system
- Support for high definition media (audio and video)
- The entire JavaFX platform will be open sourced by the end of the year
- Multi-threading support
- Prism plugin (for the web browser)
- Texture paint (using images)
- Synchronised media and animation
- New WebView node for embedding HTML content in a JavaFX application
- New WebEngine (used in WebView) for parsing HTML content which produces an HTML DOM
What I most look forward to are the new controls and built in multi-threading which will really make a huge difference when developing a sophisticated front-end application. It is good to see Prism being used as the standard rendering system since it will provide significant performance benefits. Finally the full open sourcing of JavaFX is going ahead which means JavaFX will enter a “renaissance” era with innovate development by the community, greater adoption, and greater momentum. It will be fascinating to see the direction that JavaFX heads into, and its uses.
Bad
- No official language for developing front-end JavaFX applications
- JavaFX Script is no longer supported by Oracle (from JavaFX 2.0 onwards)
Although very disappointing to see Oracle drop support for JavaFX Script there is a silver lining. Since JavaFX Script is fully open sourced the JavaFX community can take over its development. Many people have been spreading misinformation about JavaFX Script being dead when it isn't. What needs to happen is for a team to be assembled in order to continue the programming language's development.
Without a doubt JavaFX Script's development will continue so people shouldn't be too hasty to switch to another language for handling the front-end with JavaFX. If anything the decoupling of JavaFX Script from the JavaFX platform will make it easier to use the language with other JVM languages. One good example of this might be using JavaFX Script for the front-end, and Scala for the back-end, just imagine the potential possibilities!
Ugly
- No clear direction for JavaFX Mobile
- Proposed alternate HTML graphics rendering system offers very little advantages in relation to the huge number of risks/downsides involved
What should be the biggest concern to the JavaFX community now is the fact that Oracle are not providing a clear direction for JavaFX Mobile. Contrary to what other people have said about JavaFX Mobile being dead that is not true. What has actually happened is Oracle have placed JavaFX Mobile for CDLC on hold. JavaFX Mobile is still going (in a different direction) but Oracle's inaction with it is very frustrating.
If Oracle is having a huge amount of trouble with working out what to do with JavaFX Mobile then they need to bring additional people on board who are experienced with mobile development. Also Oracle needs to commit on freely providing JavaFX Mobile runtimes for some of the major mobile platforms (eg Android, Blackberry, Symbian), which should have been done in the first place.
There is a bit of excitement with the HTML rendering system (alternative to Prism), which may be used for the mobile side. What many people will not realise is that the idea of being able to run JavaFX applications without a runtime, on any device supporting HTML is an idea that faces too many downsides and risks. Why would Oracle head down this path when Prism can handle mobile rendering (in 2D and 3D), consistent rendering across different devices, provide very good performance, and is already well in development?
It seems as though Oracle have rushed head long into developing an alternative rendering system with no sufficient justification, and an absent mind on the downsides and risks involved. To get an idea of the downsides and risks with the alternative rendering system that Oracle might be developing refer to the list below:
- Limited rendering performance that is dependent on the browser used
- No support for 3D rendering
- Possible delays added to getting future JavaFX releases out
- Inconsistent rendering since different browsers will be used by users
- Many features will not be available since the rendering has to be done in a browser which may not be upgradeable in a mobile device
- Huge technical difficulties involved with properly rendering JavaFX application in a browser without the need for a plugin/runtime
- If the rendering system fails to deliver then it could cause a crippling blow with getting people to use the JavaFX platform (a bad reputation – look at Applets as a good example)
Conclusion
JavaFX's future is looking very bright despite Oracle no longer supporting JavaFX Script. Next year will certainly prove to be a very exciting year for JavaFX considering the sheer number of big changes planned by Oracle. Right now the biggest concern is with Oracle not properly directing JavaFX Mobile. Even worse is the fact that Oracle are not very active in the mobile space when they need to be competitive, less talk and more action/commitment by Oracle!
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