Give It To Someone Else

Adding scripting languages to Java

So, JSR-223 brings scripting languages to the Java platform. For the sake of rhetorical argument, let's ask the obvious question: "what the heck does that mean?" In the Feature Article, Scripting for the Java Platform, Thomas Künneth explains:

It means Java classes and objects are exposed to a scripting language so that you can instantiate classes and access public members from within a script, using the syntax of the scripting language. This way, scripting languages can control Java applications but also benefit from the wealth of Java class libraries.

OK, great, but continuing our rhetorical argument... why? Granted, there are lots of great Java libraries, but is it such a great thing that we can expose these to various scripting languages? After all, it's not like these languages exactly lack for great library support (as epitomized by perl's CPAN). Thomas has an interesting option here for certain kinds of applications: give your user access to the scripting language:

Embedding scripting languages into your application can significantly enhance the overall user experience of your program. I have already mentioned that the user can automate repetitive tasks. What is even more important is that she will be able combine scripting-enabled Java applications to solve complex chains of tasks using her favorite language.

In today's Forums, jeffhoff is trying something a little offbeat with JDIC in the message
Saverbeans - Container? - want to add JEditorPane.
"I'm having a little trouble with a vision I have for a Saverbeans screensaver. I want to add something that displays some HTML, but every option (javax.swing.JEditorPane or others) requres some sort of Container such as Frame or Panel. This works fine if I want to use it in ScreensaverFrame, but not in a normal full-screen because there's no container to add to. Is there any way to get / make a container so that I can display a JEditorPane in the full screen version?"

In a differt sort of out-of-container context, spiff wants to know
How to deploy a javax.persistence standalone app using Web Start?
"I have an out-of-container app that uses javax.persistence to talk to a derby database using the toplink agent jar from glassfish. I would like to deploy this app using Web Start but I'm running across a couple of problems: 1) Apparently, Web Start does not allow one to set the "-javaagent" flag, so there is no way to specify the toplink jar as a java agent. 2) I'd be willing to run this app inside a container (making an ear isn't a big deal). However, my application has bundled native libraries (.dlls/.sos) and I can't find a way to tell the appserver what jnlp file to use so that I can attach the native libraries."

Joshua Marinacci recalls The Summer of 1998 in today's Weblogs.
"Some time ago I wrote an article for Slashdot discussing Be, Apple, and the future of operating systems. The mention of Be should indicate just how far ago this was. The other day I decided to try to find the article both to find out if I was at all correct in my conclusions, and to see if my writing has improved at all."

In MS Visio works with Apache Derby, David Van Couvering notes:
"A blog shows how Apache Derby works with MS Visio."

Jean-Francois Arcand explains
Resource Consumption Management using GlassFish:
"Grizzly's Application Resource Allocation (ARA) extension allow an administrator of GlassFish to enable Resource Consumption Management (RCM). This mechanism can be compared to Solaris 10 zone, but available for all platforms supporting Java, and per application inside GlassFish."

In Also in
Java Today,

Gregg Wonderly says It's time for a new Java I/O API: "The JME connector architecture, for me, is much better designed for arbitrary streams. It's more focused on the I/O and less focused on the protocol/transport details. I'm starting to wonder if we shouldn't press the dolphin powers that be to go after a new I/O API for JSE that brings together the connector architure from JME together with a new Selector API thats more focused on generic I/O sources and less focused on the specific sources of I/O."

The Palm Treo platform is an appealing environment for mobile developers, with its wide screen and keyboard. The article Running J2ME Applications on Palm-powered Devices shows you how to migrate your J2ME applications to Palm OS using the WebSphere Everyplace Micro Environment for Palm OS Garnet (WEME), which "provides a MIDP2.0/CLDC 1.1 compliant run-time with support for file and personal information manager (PIM) integration (via JSR-75) as well as Web services development with JSR-172."

In Projects and
Communities,

Dan Creswell clarifies some key Jini concepts in the blog Stub, Proxy and Smart Proxy, in which he writes, "these terms come up in many a question on the Jini lists and elsewhere so I figured it was worth a blog to define them," noting both the history of stubs (from rmic to JERI to JDK auto-generation) and the advantages of smart proxies.

The Embedded Java Compilation and Application project, EJC, offers a "a universal extended language(like flash script) embedded in a desktop application, web application, EJB module, [or] mobile service built by java." Its compilation approach looks for "a balance point between a program's run speed and its expansibility."