Patrick Curran

For several months now a subset of the JCP's Executive Committees has been meeting as the Java ME Working Group to address Java ME-specific matters. In this column I'll focus on Java ME and on some of the issues that the Working Group has been discussing. (To follow our activities, check out our bulletin board at jcp.org.) Fragmentation Not surprisingly, the fragmentation problem is high on our list. In the Java ME space - much more so than in Java SE or Java EE - differences between implementations make it difficult to Write Once Run Anywhere. Developing an application that will run on many different cellphones requires very careful programming and extensive testing. There are a number of reasons for this. Firstly, the Java ME specifications are much more modular than ... (more)

JSR Watch: Here’s to Progress

The end of the year is an opportunity to review the past year's activity, and to present this to our Executive Committee (EC) members, to our broader membership, and to the general public. So this month I will summarize our progress during the past year. PMO Initiatives First, in addition to the ongoing work of moving JSRs through the process (more on this later), the JCP engaged in a cou... (more)

JSR Watch: Summer Housekeeping

It's summer. JavaOne is behind us, and much of Europe is on holiday :) At this time of year life in the JCP slows down somewhat. Nevertheless JSRs continue to move through the process, and this month I'll discuss several of these, and demonstrate how their progress has been facilitated by some of the housekeeping changes we've recently made in our processes. Before I go into the details, ... (more)

JSR Watch: JavaOne Wrap-up

The year's biggest Java community event - JavaOne - finished recently. As it is for others in the Java world, this is a busy time for the JCP. We host various events for our members, we participate in discussions and BOFs, and like all other attendees, we enjoy the opportunity to meet with members of the Java developer community. In this column I'll review our JavaOne activities, and als... (more)

JSR Watch: Focus on Spec Leads

The Java Community Process requires the development of not only technical specifications, but also Reference Implementations (which prove that specs can be implemented) and conformance test suites (Technology Compatibility Kits or TCKs), which are used to verify that implementations conform to the specifications. The Expert Group (EG), which is typically composed of representatives from ... (more)