Interoperability Happens - Why, Apple, Why?

Wednesday, April 30, 2008

So I see, via the blogosphere, that a Java 6 update is available for the Mac, so I run off to the Apple website to download the package. Click on the link, and I'm happy. Wait....

It's for 64-bit Intel Macs only?!?

Apple, why do you tease me this way? Why is it that you can build it for 64-bit machines, but not 32-bit? This just seems entirely spurious and artificial. Somebody please tell me that it's otherwise, and why, because until then, I'm going to just assume that Apple doesn't give a whit about Java.

Java/J2EE | Mac OS

Wednesday, April 30, 2008 12:32:09 AM (Pacific Daylight Time, UTC-07:00)
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Wednesday, April 30, 2008 6:09:13 AM (Pacific Daylight Time, UTC-07:00)

Everybody who has ever owned an iPod would know that Apple deliver full-package consumer products caring very little about what they've already sold, or interoperability with the non-Apple world. It's quite ironic to see the hardcore Java guys who fled "closed and evil empire" now getting burned and putting both "closed" and "evil" somewhat into perspective. But hey, I guess that's good news for Ubuntu.

Casper

Wednesday, April 30, 2008 11:31:29 AM (Pacific Daylight Time, UTC-07:00)

Well, it's always hard to guess from the outside. But my current understanding of the situation is that the majority of people who clamored for Java6 and had the financial clout to back it up wanted 64bit. I wouldn't be surprised if there's a 32bit release later on. And I certainly wouldn't expect it for PowerPC, ever. (Well, not at least until Apple changes platforms again ;->

Robert 'Groby' Blum

Wednesday, April 30, 2008 1:45:05 PM (Pacific Daylight Time, UTC-07:00)

I'll save you the trouble...Apple doesn't give a whit about Java. I say this as an owner of their computer products. I was working a contract where I had to setup dual boot on my MacBook so that I could run an OS that could handle Java 6 (namely Ubuntu). Yes, I know it's hard to believe but the project JDK was 6.0. It's sad that a company that worked hard to lure Java developers doesn't give a flying crap about them now that they've embraced the platform. I've gone from Windows to Mac and now Linux is the only platform I give a damn about.

Sam

Thursday, May 01, 2008 2:11:09 PM (Pacific Daylight Time, UTC-07:00)

Apple want your shiny white-cool f*****g cash. Apple are crap pop music. Maybe you can grow out of it.

Bones

Monday, May 05, 2008 4:03:41 PM (Pacific Daylight Time, UTC-07:00)

Rather than moan, you could have downloaded and run it, and see that if your Mac has a Core 2 Duo processor, it's 64-bit enabled and therefore you can have Java SE 6 on your Mac.

Leopard runs in 64-bit mode in ALL Mac models available since May 2007.

The only Macs that are 32-bit are ones with Core Duo (no 2 between Core and Duo,) such as first gen MacBooks, first gen MacBook Pros, first gen iMacs, and first gen Mac Minis. Xserves and Mac Pro towers were 64-bit enabled from the very first Intel-based models because of their Xeon processors, they only needed Leopard to go 64-bit mode.

PJ Cabrera

Monday, May 05, 2008 4:05:38 PM (Pacific Daylight Time, UTC-07:00)

"Leopard runs in 64-bit mode in ALL Mac models available since May 2007."

To clarify, what I mean above is that if you have a Mac produced after May 2007, Leopard will run in 64-bit mode.

PJ Cabrera

Monday, May 05, 2008 4:19:14 PM (Pacific Daylight Time, UTC-07:00)

Oh, and yes, Apple doesn't care a whit about Java. Apple is mostly a consumer-oriented company, and including Java SE on board Mac OS X has been a total failure in terms of Java SE adoption for consumer app development.

Name one consumer-oriented desktop application that's written in Java that's all the rage with Joe Sixpack. Eclipse and Netbeans don't count as consumer-oriented desktop apps, even though both are excellently done. And their respective RCPs are a joke in terms of adoption. Do you know of any desktop apps built with Eclipse or Netbeans RCP?

No one is making consumer desktop apps with Java. Why should Apple care?

PJ Cabrera

Monday, May 05, 2008 4:22:41 PM (Pacific Daylight Time, UTC-07:00)

The statements above are meant to illustrate Apple's point of view as a consumer-oriented company, and one that's been very succesful milking that point of view into profitability. They're NOT my opinion. I think Apple is very close-minded to not put more effort into releasing Java SE 6 sooner. I think maybe they had other things to worry about lately, and Java SE 6 wasn't their priority.

PJ Cabrera

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